Through the Cracks (DISCONTINUED!)
by ilikethemsalty
Summary: The Neverseen are back, and this time, they've kidnapped the Black Swan's leader. Sophie struggles to keep up with everything, but she falls through the cracks. Will her one true love be able to save her before it's too late? Sokeefe/Sophitz. (Based on Shannon Messenger's "Keeper of the Lost Cities." All rights belong to Shannon Messenger.) DISCONTINUED
1. Shopping

1- Shopping

SOPHIE SIGHED AS her friends gathered on the rug. "What?" Biana asked, blinking in and out of sight as she always did, since she was a Vanisher.

Sophie shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm remembering back when I was in the Forbidden Cities and didn't have any friends." She smiled. "And now I have you guys." She nodded at her friends: Biana, Linh, Dex, Keefe, and Fitz. When her gaze rested on Fitz, she blushed slightly.

Biana smiled. "Of course you do." Then she narrowed her eyes. "But that's not going to stop you from going on a shopping spree with me in Atlantis today!" She squealed.

"Great," muttered Sophie, glancing at her other friends with a plea in her eyes.

"Sorry, Foster. But you're on your own this time," Keefe smirked.

Sophie sighed. "Fitz? Pleeease?" She turned her puppy-eyes to her crush.

Fitz shook his head. "Nope. Not getting into this. Once Biana makes up her mind, she never changes it."

Sophie sighed again, turning to every other elf in the room, including Della, Biana and Fitz's mother.

But she got refusals all around. "Come on!" Biana shrieked, pulling Sophie with her as they light-leapt to a sandy beach.

* * *

Sophie grumbled as she and Biana landed in Atlantis. She dusted her clothes with a sigh. "That still scares me every time. I mean, is that seriously the only way to get to Atlantis?"

Biana shrugged. "I guess so."

They walked past crowds of elves and finally found a pretty clothing store.

"Here we go!" Biana squealed. "Finally! We need to upgrade your wardrobe! You need some more fancy-occasion wear, girl!"

Sophie grumbled something about her clothes being perfectly fine, but Biana ignored her and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her into the store. A sleekly dressed elf came to the door and offered to help them, but Biana shook her off, saying she knew just what Sophie needed.

Sophie followed Biana to a long row of clothes. Very fancy clothes. "Ugh, those aren't for me," Sophie complained.

"Mm," Biana scanned the clothes, until she found a super-sparkly magenta gown with rhinestones and glitter. "Perfect," she whispered.

Sophie slowly backed away. "Put the dress down, Biana," she hissed.

"No..." Biana said, smiling. She held out the dress and got ready to wrangle Sophie.

Sophie backed away. "PLEASE, NO, BIANA!" she shrieked, causing some elves to gather around them to watch the commotion.

Biana shrugged. "Fiiiiiiine. But we are _so_ finding you the perfect dress. Besides," she added teasingly, "don't you want to impress Fitz?"

Sophie blushed beet-red. "Nooo. And besides, Fitz doesn't care about what clothes I wear."

Biana sighed. "It was worth a try," she said wistfully as she set the far-too pink dress away on the shelves and started to weave through the hundreds of clothes in the store.

Sophie, however, picked up her Imparter and answered it to a grinning Keefe. "Keefe?" she asked questioningly.

"Come to Everglen! Right now!"

**A/N: EDITED!  
**


	2. The Surprise at Everglen

2- The Surprise at Everglen

"SO," SOPHIE SAID, smiling. "Why are we here?"

Biana nodded rapturously. "We were in the middle of finding Sophie the perfect dress!" She glared.

Keefe held his hands up. "Whoa, easy there."

Biana practically looked rabid, she was that angry. She started to rant. "I mean, I had just found a gorgeous dress, and then Sophie rejected it, and then I just about found the most perfect skirt ever, but you just had to interrupt..."

"Uh..." Keefe said as Biana continued five minutes later.

"And I've been waiting years to be able to do this! Then you had to break in..."

"Is she okay?" Keefe asked, turning wide-eyed to Sophie.

Sophie shrugged. "She'll run out of breath soon."

After going on for three and a half more minutes, Biana finally stopped, panting all the while. She glared at Keefe. "Got it?"

"Okay, so, Foster, I wanted to tell you that, I, uh, oh, I forgot."

Biana was breathing fire. "YOU FORGOT WHY YOU TOLD SOPHIE TO CUT OUR SHOPPING TRIP SHORT? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Fitz was cautiously approaching Biana's back, and Sophie had to stifle a giggle. He carefully lifted her up while she was screaming like a maniac and he brought her upstairs to her bedroom.

"Whoa. I think Biana's the crazy one," Keefe said, once Fitz returned.

Fitz shrugged. "She gets worked up by stuff like that. So," he said, eyeing Sophie, "what brought your shopping trip to an end?"

Keefe slung his arm around Sophie's shoulders. "I saved Foster."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Mm? Is that all you were going to do when you said 'come to Everglen right now?'"

Fitz glared at Keefe. "The truth, Keefe. Now."

Keefe sighed. "What. A. Killjoy."

Fitz narrowed his eyes. He adjusted his handsome jerkin and tunic before turning back to face Keefe. "Now, Keefe."

Keefe pouted. "Fine! What a partypooper!"

Sophie giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. But she could never have contemplated exactly what Keefe was going to say.

"I got a note from the Neverseen."

Sophie's jaw hung slack. The last time Keefe received a note from the Neverseen... Let's just say it didn't go well. "What did they say?" Fitz asked.

Sophie timidly yanked an innocent eyelash from her eye.

Keefe wrung his fingers nervously. "Uh. Well. Just see it for yourself." He shoved a note in Fitz's hands.

Fitz read it, and his beautiful teal eyes widened in horror. His lips parted slightly, as if he was extremely shocked, and then he hinged them shut again. "Oh. Wow," he murmured, tracing his fingers alongside the words.

"Let me read it!" Sophie begged, reaching for it.

"You don't want to. Trust me," Keefe said quietly.

Fitz nodded. "Yeah, he kinda has a point, Sophie. You'll freak out."

Sophie flinched. Is that how strong they saw her? Just a weak, squeamish little girl who cried at the sign of blood? She'd gone through the same things they had! The Neverseen attacking them, torturing them, tricking them. All that, and they thought she was weak.

A single tear dribbled down her cheeks as she stormed out of the room. Of course. They should see her as a weak elf who would crumple to the ground at any second.

All the visits to Elwin proved it. But Sophie still felt horrible as she let a flood of tears drench her face.

She finally let go, and she cried. Sophie hid herself in the bathroom and sobbed her heart out.

She wasn't strong.

She wasn't powerful.

She was just a weak little girl who didn't know what she was doing.

Sophie checked herself in the mirror. Her face was bloated and red, and strands of her blonde hair hung limply on the sides of her face. Her big, brown eyes were watery, filled with tears that were ready to leak out.

She sighed. This just proved her point. If she couldn't hold herself together when someone was trying to protect her, well, that was terrible.

As she washed her face, a knock sounded at the door. Sophie sighed. "Yes?"

"It's Fitz," the gentle voice came. The beautiful, soft, accented voice that Sophie had come to adore. To love, even. Oh, and now she was getting ahead of herself. She just had a crush on him.

Sophie's voice failed her as she turned the doorknob to see Fitz, worriedly looking at her. "Are you okay?" he asked as he put a soft hand to Sophie's cheek. Then he wrenched it back, sighing. "Of course you aren't. Why am I even asking?"

"Because you care," Sophie said softly, looking up to see Fitz's teal eyes wash over her with sympathy... and something else, too.

"I do," Fitz said quietly, a hint of shame in his voice. "I'm sorry I hid the note from you."

Sophie looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I freaked out so much. I just guess I'm tired of people calling me weak. Even though..." Her voice broke. "Even though it's true."

Fitz shook his head, cupping Sophie's face in such a gentle gesture Sophie wanted to come clean about her crush on him. "You're not weak, Soph. Everyone feels like that sometimes." He paused. "Even me."

Sophie smiled. Then there was a loud, "Ahem," from the hallway. Fitz yanked his hands away from Sophie's face and they both turned to see Keefe Sencen, smirking at them.

Sophie blushed.

"So, as much as I _love _Fitzphie time, Biana's up."

"She was asleep?" Sophie asked, bemused.

"Weeeeeell," Fitz hesitated. "I may or may not have stuffed a special elixir down her throat that Elwin made specifically for situations like this."

Keefe grinned, holding out a hand for Fitz to high-five.

"Can I see the note?" Sophie interrupted hesitantly. When she saw their worried glances, she said, "Don't worry about how I'll react. I have to read it."

Fitz sighed. "She's right, Keefe."

Keefe glanced at Sophie, his ice-blue eyes concerned. "All right," he reluctantly said, handing over the slip of paper to Sophie.

It said:

_If you want your precious leader,_

_Come to the place humans and elves gathered once_

_At midnight_

_Tonight_

Sophie's mouth fell open as she finished reading. "They have Mr Forkle?" she whispered anxiously.

"They must have figured out he's alive, somehow," Fitz said.

"How?" Sophie blinked. Yeah, there were some complications that made the Neverseen believe that Mr Forkle was dead, although, in a way, he was.

"We might have a traitor in our midst," Sophie whispered.


	3. Freaking Out

3- Freaking Out

SOPHIE CLOSED HER EYES and tried to think happy thoughts. Silveny and her new alicorn babies, Wynn and Luna. She inhaled a deep breath. Fitz's confession. Deep breaths. But... Mr Forkle was gone. Again.

The annoying elf who refused to answer her questions.

The intruding elf who read her very private thoughts without her permission.

And the elf who created her.

She gave a dry laugh. He was gone. Keefe and Fitz exchanged worried glances. Sophie didn't care that she basically broke her promise to them. She _had _to freak out. What else would she do?

Sophie closed her eyes and crumpled to the floor. She was weak. Of course she was. But Mr Forkle was _kidnapped_, and they expected her to be calm about it.

She focused on breathing and held in her emotions so she wouldn't accidentally inflict anyone. She felt a cool liquid being forced into her mouth. Soon, all went black.

* * *

Sophie fluttered her eyelids open to find herself in a soft canopy bed, centered in the middle of a large, ballroom-sized room.

She was in her room. Voices murmured quietly and worriedly, scattered around. She shook her head to clear away her sleepiness and saw her adoptive parents, Grady and Edaline, standing beside her with a tall elf in a regal cape and dark hair. Alden. Fitz and Biana's father.

"W-what happened?" blinked Sophie, rubbing her eyes.

"Fitz sedated you," was all the explanation that Edaline gave her.

"Why?" Sophie's brow wrinkled. Then the memories flooded back. Mr Forkle. Kidnapped. Neverseen.

She groaned and closed her eyes again for a moment, trying to regain her strength. She opened them again, sighing. She stared at her adoptive mother. "D-d-did Fitz tell you?"

Edaline just gave a small nod. She met Sophie's eyes with a soft, sympathetic gaze. "You were convulsing," she explained quietly. "We were worried about you, Sophie."

Sophie let out another gusty sigh. "Guess I more than proved I'm weak," she whispered to herself, not intending for Edaline to hear. But she did.

"Sophie! I hope that's not what you think about yourself!"

A helpless shrug was all that met Edaline's words.

Edaline narrowed her eyes. "We are talking about this later, young lady." Her eyes softened. "But for now, you're going back to dreamland."

Grady and Alden were watching that conversation very intently. Sophie felt a bit embarrassed that she was having a mom-talk in front of Alden. Especially with him dressed up in his formal Emissary wear.

Edaline gently squeezed Sophie's hand and said she'd bring some food up for her.

When Edaline left the room, Alden cleared his throat and walked over to Sophie, a concerned expression surfacing on his face. "Are you feeling better, Sophie?" he asked. Sophie just gave him a brief nod. Alden nodded and looked as if he wanted to say more, but he frowned. "I'd better go. The trolls are getting impatient."

"Trolls?" Sophie asked, puzzled.

Alden smiled. "No reason to worry, Sophie." His all-too familiar and annoying catchphrase. "Just a minor border problem."

Sophie shrugged. Alden nodded at Grady and left.

Grady glared daggers at Sophie. "There's a visitor waiting for you," he said grudgingly.

Another?

"Um, okay," Sophie said.

Grady opened the door and Fitz crashed in.

"At least it isn't _That Boy_," muttered Grady as he left the room. Sophie rolled her eyes.

Fitz set himself on the bed. He met Sophie's slightly hard gaze with his soft one. "Sophie, I know you're angry at me for sedating you." He sighed. "But you were... falling apart, and I was worried about you."

Sophie nodded. "I know, Fitz." She sighed. "Mostly I'm just angry with myself."

"But why?" Fitz's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You're amazing. You don't really have a reason to be mad at yourself." He blushed at his own words.

Sophie did, too.

"I'm just so weak!" Sophie burst out. "And I have these feelings just swirling around in me like a vortex and it's so hard to keep them under control! Bronte says that's my problem with inflicting. I just can't keep control."

Fitz hesitated, then wrapped his arms around Sophie. His _strong _arms. He was strong. Unlike Sophie.

Sophie started to cry. Her tears fell down her cheeks like a rainstorm. "Oh, Fitz! I'm sorry! I'm such a crybaby! I used to have some control, but now..." Her voice trailed off.

Fitz patted her shoulder, then he tilted her chin up, making her eyes meet his. "Sophie, I like you so much. I don't expect you to be this invincible, unfeeling person. If you didn't feel anything..." He shuddered. "All I'm saying is, at some point, all of us feel helpless and weak. But that doesn't mean we are."

Sophie smiled. "Thanks, Fitz. You could be an orator."

"What's that?" Fitz asked, frowning.

He was totally killing the moment.

Sophie shrugged. "It doesn't matter." She smiled up at his gorgeous teal eyes.

Fitz smiled back with his moviestar-worthy grin. You know," he said, "we never did finish the thing we were going to do back under the Panakes tree. Or when Silveny interrupted us."

Sophie's heartbeat sped at a million miles a minute.

Fitz leaned in, his quick breaths heard from Sophie. He pulled Sophie in incredibly close, and then his nose was just touching Sophie's. Fitz stared at Sophie's beautiful, shimmering brown eyes. Then he kissed her. It was slow and deliberate, but all the same, it felt like it was over in a second to Sophie.

When they pulled away, Sophie's heart melted. Fitz was smiling up at her, his smile reassuring her. She felt sheer wonder and bliss in her puddle-of-a-heart.

"Oh, Fitz," she whispered, sighing.

Fitz smiled, tracing Sophie's palm softly and intently.

The moment seemed to last forever, until the door opened and a very surprised Edaline stood there with a tray full of food. She had the gooey smile that only embarrassing parents have.

"Did I interrupt anything?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.

Sophie was glad tenfold that Edaline had not walked in on Fitz and her kissing.

That would have been far worse.

Fitz gave Sophie's hand a gentle squeeze and whispered in her ear, "I'll see you later."

"So," Edaline set the food tray down beside Sophie. "What's the news?"

"Please don't tell Grady," Sophie begged.

"I won't," Edaline said. "At least, not yet."

Sophie groaned. Grady took the duty as overprotective parent very well.

Edaline smiled. "Well, please don't be afraid to tell me _or Grady_, if anything happens." Sophie was honestly truly grateful that Edaline hadn't seen them kissing now.

Then she looked up at her adoptive mother. "Do the Collective know? About, you know?"

"Yes," Edaline said softly, "and they're working on it."

Sophie just nodded. She glanced at her wringing fingers. She was tempted to pull out all of her eyelashes now. But... that would seriously freak Fitz out, so she refrained.

Just then, a clash came at the door. Not again. Sophie was inwardly groaning. She didn't like dozens of elves seeing her in bed, with her horrible pineapple-bed hair.

Sir Tiergan, her telepathy mentor, came bursting inside. His wild eyes met Sophie's. "Sophie, you must come right away. They've kidnapped Prentice!"

**A/N: Cliffhanger! I'm working through the Sophitz to the Sokeefe, so Sophitz will happen a few more times before Sokeefe. **


	4. Wylie Talks

4- Wylie Talks

GASPING, SOPHIE SLAPPED her palm on top of her mouth. "P-Prentice is... kidnapped?" she stuttered, her head lolling back into her pillow.

Sir Tiergan nodded, "Yes, that's what I said, Sophie. The Collective... wants your opinion on the matter."

"Wait... my opinion?"

"Yes."

Sophie gave a dry laugh. "Oh, really?"

"You and your friends'."

Sophie smiled and started to laugh, her raspy chortles bubbling up through her chest.

Sir Tiergan blinked. "Uh, is everything okay, Sophie?"

"Oh!" Sophie gasped, laughing one more time before she stopped, sighing. "I'm sorry, but I thought the Collective didn't care about _the kids' _opinions."

Sir Tiergan shrugged. "Okay, I suppose what I really meant to say is, well, they heard you received a note from the Neverseen, and they want to see it. We hope there may be a clue that leads us to Prentice, since these two incidents happened very closely together."

"Finally! Something rational!" Sophie exclaimed.

Sir Tiergan rolled his eyes; an uncommon sight. "Wylie's coming, too."

"Great." Sophie was being sarcastic now. Wylie never did seem to make the situation better. In fact, he always somehow ended up blaming Sophie for everything bad that happened. She knew it was for good reason; after all, Prentice, his father, was locked in Exile for years because he was hiding Sophie.

But Sophie still hoped she and Wylie could be better friends. Actually, recently Wylie had saved her and Fitz from the Neverseen.

Sir Tiergan interrupted her inner monologue, "Keefe and Fitz are joining you. Biana, also."

"What about Dex, and Linh?" Sophie asked for her two other friends. She frowned as she remembered Tam was with the Neverseen.

"Well, they weren't there for the note, and we're trying to minimize the meeting time so we can save Mr Forkle, too."

Sophie winced as the sharp reminder stabbed into her. Mr Forkle was gone.

Sir Tiergan seemed to realize what thoughts were dashing through Sophie's mind. He put his hands on Sophie's shoulders. "We'll solve this, Sophie. Do not worry about it." Alden's favorite quote.

Sophie sniffed and offered a weak smile.

"We need to go _now_. Remember the note stated the meeting would be at midnight..." Sir Tiergan sighed as he rubbed his chin in thought. He held out a hand to Sophie, and she reluctantly took it. She glanced up at him. "Sir Tiergan, do Grady and Edaline know I'm going?"

She knew her overprotective parents could get worried if she was missing.

"Yes, don't worry," he replied distantly as they got into the Leapmaster.

* * *

Sophie stepped out of the light and walked onto the Shores of Solace, Keefe's home.

Ro, Keefe's bodyguard, called it 'the Waves of Wimpiness.'

Sophie thought back to Sandor and smiled. Her squeaky goblin bodyguard reluctantly took the day off to spend it with his girlfriend, Grizel.

He was extremely reluctant, considering what happened to Sophie in the past. But once Sophie promised she'd stick near Biana and Woltzer, he relented.

"Hey, Foster!" Keefe shouted from the porch swing set up next to the house.

It really was a beautiful place, not to give credit to Lord Cassius, Keefe's arrogant father. It had a fantastic view of the ocean.

"Hi, Keefe," Sophie said when she reached him.

Sir Tiergan walked right into the house, ignoring Keefe. Sophie guessed he must've been preoccupied worrying about Prentice.

Keefe twined his fingers with Sophie's, and together they entered the house, ready. Keefe glanced at Sophie, staring at the gold flecks in her large, brown eyes. Noticing how she tugged her eyelashes in worry. She was surreal. Keefe shook his head, trying to clear all suspicious thoughts from his head. He squeezed her hand, ready to send calming waves to her should she need it.

Since Keefe was an Empath and Sophie an Enhancer, when Sophie enhanced Keefe's empathy powers, he could influence other people's emotions. So he could calm Sophie down if she was panicking.

Fitz saw Keefe and Sophie's hands together, and he scowled. Sophie noticed and quickly let go of Keefe's hand.

Wylie was in a corner, staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Sir Tiergan also appeared lost.

Squall and Wraith were in the main room, awaiting the rest of the elves. Biana was already there, though. "Where's Blur?" Sophie asked as she, Fitz, and Keefe all stepped into the room. Wylie and Sir Tiergan joined them a moment later.

"He was busy," Wraith explained curtly.

"So," Squall said, "should we start the discussion? Keefe, you brought the note, correct?"

Keefe nodded, and he pulled the slip of paper out from his pockets.

Squall took it and studied it, holding it up as if looking for clues. She sighed. "I guess that's it."

"What?!" Keefe, Fitz, Biana, and Sophie all shouted.

"I was hoping you might've accidentally been withholding some details. Like, maybe leaping crystal dust." She examined it again. "Nope. Nothing."

Wraith took it, the note floating midair, since he was a Vanisher and he made only his clothes appear.

"I would assume they mean Atlantis. That was the place that _humans and elves gathered once_. I can't understand where, specifically, in Atlantis they mean, though," Wraith said in his raspy voice.

"What about the statue?" Fitz and Sophie asked in unison. They blinked and laughed.

Biana covered her mouth and giggled.

Keefe mumbled something about Fitzphie moments.

"They're right, you know," Wylie finally spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him. "That was where the human and elf statue used to be, at least, before they ripped it down and put a new one celebrating our saving Atlantis."

"It was also where Nightfall used to be," Sophie nodded. "It makes sense."

"We'll send proxies to investigate at once," Wraith commended.

"The meeting is adjourned," Squall announced.

* * *

Sophie was leaving the room when there was a small voice behind her, "Sophie?"

She turned around and saw Wylie staring at her expectantly.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

Wylie was quiet for a second, and then he sighed. "Sophie, I'm worried about my dad."

Sophie nodded understandingly. "I know, Wylie." Her face contorted into confusion. "But, how did it even happen? He was healed, and we had him hidden, and..." Her voice trailed off as tears glazed her eyes.

Wylie nodded. His voice sounded strained as he said, "I just came back from Foxfire and I found a note saying,

_If you want your father back,_

_You need to join us_

_Meet us at dawn tomorrow in the big_ _apple_."

He wrung his fingers nervously. "I... don't even know what the 'big apple' is supposed to be..." Wylie sighed.

"_Big apple_?" Sophie asked incredulously.

Wylie nodded.

"Wylie, the Neverseen want to meet you in New York City!"

**A/N: What do you think will happen next? I would greatly appreciate reviews if you can spare the time. **


	5. Drama

5- Drama

WYLIE GASPED. "Is that in the Forbidden Cities?"

Sophie just nodded grimly. "It looks like we're going to have to have a talk with the Black Swan about this. Wait- they know, right? They acted like they had no idea about your note, I mean, they were looking for clues in Keefe's note."

Wylie nervously laughed. "Yeah, no. I didn't tell them." He pulled a piece of paper out of his small bag. It had the same warning on it as he had said. Except for one BIG detail.

On the bottom was inscripted:

_Don't tell the black swan_

_Or else you'll never see your father again_

"They need to learn how to rhyme," chuckled Sophie.

Wylie's eyes shot up to Sophie. "You need to be serious about this! My dad's kidnapped!"

Sophie nodded. "I know, Wylie," she said gently, "I was just trying to lighten up the situation."

"You and Keefe both," muttered Wylie, and Sophie decided to pretend she didn't hear him.

"Well, I need to get back home," Sophie gestured, "but please don't do anything hasty, Wylie!"

Wylie nodded. A flicker of... guilt? crossed his face. Sophie touched Wylie's arm and murmured another apology. She hoped that Wylie wasn't going to meet up with the Neverseen by himself. "Please don't tell anyone," Wylie begged right as Sophie turned to leave. He looked stricken.

"I won't," Sophie nodded, and she walked into the light.

* * *

Sophie's Imparter vibrated, and she picked it up to see a grinning Keefe. "Come to Everglen _right now_," he said.

"Not a repeat!" Sophie groaned. "There isn't another note, right?"

Keefe shook his head, his ice-blue eyes glowing with anticipation. "No, but we're having an epic base quest challenge!" He leaned into the Imparter adding, "And I claim you for my team!"

A chorus of arguments followed Keefe's comment. Biana stuck her head in front of the Imparter. "Nope! It's girls against boys!"

"Not _again_," whined Keefe.

The Imparter went blank.

Sophie laughed, slamming her head into the soft pillows in her bed. She figured she should probably go to Everglen, otherwise Keefe would leap himself here, groveling at Sophie's feet for her to be on his team.

She was wanted on every team of base quest, what with all her abilities. Sophie tried to take a census of how many abilities she currently had. Telepath, Polyglot, Inflictor, Teleporter, and Enhancer. Most elves only had one ability, with the exception of Polyglots; usually Polyglots had another ability, too.

Sophie just couldn't wait to see Fitz again.

She smiled faintly as she recalled Fitz's kiss. Her heart was exploding with all the butterflies in it; now they didn't only inhabit her stomach.

Then she frowned as she remembered. With Mr Forkle being kidnapped, as well as Prentice, she almost forgot her other anxieties.

_Unmatchable._

Sophie was unmatchable. Tears threatened to break free as her heart shattered into millions of pieces.

What if Fitz rejected her? What if he didn't want to date a bad match?

Sophie fell onto her pillow and silently weeped. Fitz surely would reject her. Since she was unmatchable, they were automatically a bad match.

Her pillow was now damp with her tears. But Sophie couldn't stop. Tears formed and fell.

Sophie tried to shove her worries away so she could go play base quest with her friends. But she'd have to tell Fitz sooner or later... And then it'd be over.

She was weak.

Cool tears were drizzling down her cheeks and dripped off her chin, giving her a cold shiver. She wiped away some of them, sighing.

There was a quick knock at the door. Sophie wasn't ready. "C-c-come in," she said through tears.

Quiet footsteps sounded. "Sophie? It's Fitz."

Now Sophie was feeling hot embarrassment seep up into her. Fitz was seeing her cry for the _third _time that day! Talk about weak! Sophie was as fragile as porcelain!

The mattress sunk down, an indication that she should flee for the nearest sink. But she didn't. She stayed put.

"Sophie?... Can you look at me?" Fitz's beautiful voice asked.

Sophie's voice failed words. Fitz grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes. "Sophie, I know everything's hard right now, but you need to have fun. Please? Try for me?"

Sophie nodded, wiping away her tears. "I guess I can try."

"Good." Fitz seemed relieved. He stroked Sophie's cheek, his warm fingers both soothing and exciting.

_Sophie, I like you so much, _came Fitz's telepathic voice. Sophie knew that already, but it still made her blush to hear the words.

_Please don't keep anything a secret from me, _he transmitted.

Uh oh. Did he suspect Sophie was withholding something? Actually, she was hiding two major secrets from him.

"Fitz, actually," stammered Sophie, "I've been meaning to tell you something." She wrung her fingers, cold sweat drenching her back.

Fitz looked expectantly at her.

"I, well, I went to the matchmakers and, well..."

Fitz excitedly said, "You went to the matchmakers?" His teal eyes were gleaming.

"Y-yes. And, well, you see, I, ugh! The matchmakers said I'm unmatchable!"

* * *

Fitz's eyes widened. "I-I guess it would make sense, judging the fact that you don't know your genetic parents. But..." His voice trailed off.

Fitz looked at Sophie as she nodded, tears brimming her stunning brown eyes again.

"We'd be a bad match!" Sophie blurted out, staring down at the floor.

"So?" Fitz asked, tilting Sophie's chin up. "I love you and I'm not about to let some silly matchmaking problems stop me from seeing you!" He seemed slightly embarrassed by the words that came out of his mouth, but by then Sophie was already kissing him.

Fitz relaxed, twisting his fingers through her soft waves of blonde hair.

When they pulled away, Sophie stared at Fitz with a shining smile. "So you really meant what you said?"

Fitz nodded, blushing.

Sophie's Imparter vibrated again. Sophie quickly mopped away the rest of her remaining tears and answered.

"Hey, are you coming or what?" Keefe asked.

"Uh, yeah!" Sophie nodded quickly. "See ya, Keefe!"

She turned to Fitz. "Do they know you're here?"

"Nah," Fitz flashed a moviestar smile. "I said I forgot something inside _Everglen_."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. Fitz intertwined his fingers with Sophie's and they leapt to Everglen.

* * *

Sophie grinned as Keefe and Biana jogged up to her and Fitz. "How about Biana teams up with Keefe and I go with Sophie?" Fitz suggested with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

Biana shrugged. She had a crush on Keefe for years, and she never missed an opportunity to spend time with him, even if he didn't return her feelings.

Fitz turned his gaze to Keefe. "Please, dude?"

Keefe snorted. "Fine."

Sophie shot her arms up in the air. "Can we get started already?"

"Yeah!" Biana nodded energetically.

"Let's do it!" Fitz grabbed Sophie's hand and they began to run. "Where should we pick our base to be?" he whispered to Sophie.

"Hmm. How about by that creek over there?" Sophie proposed.

"Good idea," agreed Fitz as they sprinted through the grass, pushing their core energy into their legs to go faster. Unfortunately, it was a skill that Sophie had not mastered well.

"I'm going to listen for their thoughts," Sophie whispered. "Can you help guide me, so I don't trip while I concentrate?"

Fitz murmured his agreement and Sophie closed her eyes and strained to hear any faint thoughts.

She heard Biana's mental voice think, _The lake_.

"Biana just thought something that had to do with the lake," Sophie announced, and as she opened her eyes, she realized she was about to crash into a thick tree! Fitz steered her away and they collapsed on the soft grass beside the creek.

"Whew," Sophie panted, grinning.

"Can you guard the base? I'll go tag them," Fitz offered.

"Sure!" Sophie nodded.

"Great!" Fitz broke into a run and sped towards Everglen's lake.

Sophie stood beside the creek and pondered Wylie's note. The Neverseen wanted to recruit him, and they finally made a move too large to be ignored. What if Wylie went to New York City by himself? What if he took advantage of Sophie? Sophie sighed, shaking her head. She was going to have fun now and just hope that the Black Swan had a plan to rescue Mr Forkle and Prentice. But, wait. If the Black Swan didn't know about Wylie's note, how could they even attempt a rescue?

Sophie remembered the threat on the bottom of the note.

_Don't tell the black swan_

_Or else you'll never see your father again_

How would the Neverseen know when Wylie told the Black Swan?

Did the Black Swan have a traitor? A spy? A double-agent? Sophie's mind began to fill with so many worries that she didn't notice that Keefe was right behind, ready to tag her.

"Sophie!" Fitz shrieked.

Sophie tried to dodge, but Keefe had tagged her.

"Sorry, Fitz," Sophie mumbled.

Fitz shrugged. "It's okay, Sophie. Good game?" He and Keefe high-fived, and Biana and Sophie smiled at each other.

Sophie raised her head up to the sky, noticing the sun was dipping down. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just about to set! "Mr Forkle," Sophie whispered.

"It's okay, Foster. The Collective have a plan, I'm sure. I mean, those dudes are crazy, but they do their job right," Keefe assured her.

Sophie bit her lip and reached for an eyelash. She tugged it out, flicking it off her finger. "I know, but without Mr Forkle, they..."

"Aren't complete," Fitz finished for her, meeting Sophie's gaze. "Hey, it's okay, though. I'm sure they've got this."

Sophie rubbed her eyes. "I don't know..." She wanted to tell Fitz about Wylie's note. She had an extremely strong urge to do so. But... that would be breaking Wylie's trust in her. She knew it wouldn't be easy to regain it. Wylie wasn't a particularly trusting person.

And the note said for Wylie to meet with the Neverseen _at dawn. The next day._ That hardly left any time for preparation. Sophie took a deep breath. She hated betraying Wylie, but she had to tell her friends. The Black Swan would be ideal, too.

But what if the Neverseen weren't just bluffing? She saw what horrible things they could do.

Torturing Sophie and Dex.

Cutting up Alvar, and leaving him to rot without his memories, just for some elaborate trick. And he was one of them!

She could go on and on, but the point was that the Neverseen proved that they definitely weren't kidding most of the time. She didn't want to take the risk. Prentice could be killed.

"Hey. What is it?" Fitz asked gently. Sophie blinked, and she realized she was sitting down beside the creek. Keefe and Biana had left. To give them privacy, probably. Sophie shrugged, staring at the mellow stream's currents push some small pebbles through the water. She picked up a relatively-flat looking rock and tossed it onto the creek.

"I guess I lost my skipping skills," Sophie laughed as the rock sank without skipping.

"Skipping?" Fitz asked, giving a puzzled stare at the sunken rock.

"Human thing," sighed Sophie wistfully.

"Ah," Fitz nodded. He wrapped an arm around Sophie's shoulders. "You know, I'm here if you have anything on your mind."

Sophie gazed at the sun's faint rays beaming through the trees and onto the creek's lapping waters. "Well," she started, "I-" She paused, unsure.

"What?" Fitz asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"I promised Wylie I wouldn't tell anyone," Sophie whispered.

Fitz tilted Sophie's chin up and stared at her beautiful, placid brown eyes. "Tell me."

Sophie was mesmerized by his teal eyes. They seemed to be boring into her mind. "I-I... Wylie has this note from the Neverseen," she finally said. Her voice was as quiet as the creek.

"What? Why didn't the Collective bring it up?"

"He didn't...exactly...tell them," Sophie said, twisting at her Cognate ring.

"Why not?" Fitz asked, running a hand through his perfect dark hair.

"Well, there was a... complication." Sophie sighed and quickly blurted out everything that Wylie told and showed her.

Fitz's eyes widened with every word she spoke. "So Prentice could be in danger if the Collective find out? What if they're bluffing?"

"The Neverseen don't seem like the type to bluff," sighed Sophie.

"But they do trick people a lot," Fitz said.

"True," nodded Sophie with a yawn. She stretched her arms out and blinked her eyes.

"You need to head home to get some sleep," Fitz told her, kissing her cheek. Sophie touched it, wonder filling her heart.

"But what about Mr Forkle?" she added, desperately trying not to yawn again.

"The Black Swan'll take care of it," Fitz assured her, pushing a loose strand of hair from Sophie's eye.

"I hope so."

**A/N: This was the longest chapter I've ever written! 2,250 words!**


	6. So?

6- So?

SOPHIE BLINKED her eyes and realized with a jolt that she fell asleep! She had gone to bed only to satisfy Grady and Edaline, but she didn't mean to sleep!

Sophie sighed. She reached out to the one elf that could make her feel better.

_Fitz?_

It took ten minutes before Fitz replied. _Sophie? Is that you?_

_Yes, Fitz. _

_What is it? _His telepathic voice sounded jumpy.

_Sorry for waking you. It's just, I couldn't sleep and-_

Fitz interrupted her. _No, I was already up. It's okay. No damage done._

Somehow, Sophie doubted that. But she shrugged and transmitted, _Have the Collective rescued Mr Forkle?_

_I don't know._ Fitz sounded slightly annoyed.

_I'm sorry I woke you, Fitz. Well, good morning. _She cut off their connection with a sigh. Was Fitz that annoyed? Well, from the way he responded, Sophie guessed he wasn't a morning person.

She laid back in her soft, tempting bed for a moment, letting her eyelids droop. She decided she'd just close her eyes for a moment.

* * *

Sophie was being shook.

"Wake! Up!" The voice was familiar.

Tresses of strawberry-blonde hair dangled above her face.

"D-Dex?" Sophie stuttered, tugging at her covers.

"Nope. It's past noon. No way are you going back to sleep!" Dex's determined voice came.

"_Past noon_?" Sophie gasped, and let out a long shriek. "WYLIE!" She jumped up in her bed.

"Wonderboy has it covered," Dex explained. Sophie hid a smile behind her palm. Dex nicknamed Fitz 'Wonderboy' years ago, but he still used it. Keefe did, too, from time to time.

But Dex wasn't smiling.

Sophie tossed the covers off and sprinted for the bathroom. "Just a minute, Dex!" she yelled, shutting the door behind her. Dex sighed as he heard a muffled scream.

Sophie lifted her head from the towel. Then she put the towel to her mouth and let out another long caterwaul.

Sighing, she folded the towel and put it away. She undressed and took a long, steaming shower. When Sophie came out, she felt slightly better. She chose some fancier clothing- a frilly white tunic with amethysts embroidered on the bottom frills, and a simple skirt with dark velvet fabric. She sighed as she let out one more shriek and got out of the bathroom.

"Sorry, Dex. I TOLD MYSELF I'D WAKE UP AT THE CRACK OF DAWN, TO BE THERE FOR WYLIE! BUT, NO, I HAD TO GO AND LEAVE IT ALL TO FITZ!" Sophie screamed.

Dex just patted her shoulder, looking slightly frightened at her unpredictable behavior.

Sophie shook her head, sighing. She adjusted her tunic's frills and mumbled a good-morning to Dex before running downstairs.

Only Edaline was there. "Good morning, Sophie!" Edaline said brightly, snapping her fingers to conjure a bowl of some kind of seedy orange goop for Sophie.

Sophie looked at it apprehensively, but she stuffed a spoonful in her mouth and the flavors exploded in her mouth. It tasted like pumpkin and pretzels and cinnamon.

"Thanks, Edaline," Sophie said, trying to smile. She glanced around. "Where's Grady?"

Edaline wrung her fingers nervously. "He went with the Black Swan to ambush the Neverseen."

* * *

"What?!" Sophie shrieked. Dex was coming down the stairs, and he flinched.

Edaline conjured another bowl for Dex, and she smiled grimly. "The double ambush, I meant. Fitz helped organize the Black Swan. He told them about Wylie's note."

Sophie tightened her lips. She couldn't believe she slept in! "And is Wylie okay with all that?"

Edaline hesitated. "He's glad we're doing what we can," she finally said.

Sophie glanced up at her adoptive mother in worry. Edaline seemed to know what was going through Sophie's mind, so she enveloped her in a tight hug. "Don't worry, Sophie. Grady's safe."

Sophie tried to believe it.

* * *

Once Sophie slurped up her breakfast in a hurry, she reached out to Fitz telepathically.

_Fitz?! _her mental voice scolded.

_You found out, huh? _Fitz instantly replied.

_Uh, yeah! _

_I hope you're not angry _

_I'm not angry, Fitz, _Sophie's telepathic words softened. _Well, unless you count the fact that you were all morning monster the last time I reached to you. _

_Why don't you come to Everglen so we can talk personally? Face to face?_

_Sure, _Sophie broke the connection, smiling as she daydreamed about Fitz's kiss.

"Sophie?" Edaline asked, jolting her out of her dreamy state. "Are you... okay?"

"Um, yeah!" Sophie said too-quickly, sitting up stiff and straight in her chair.

"You were drooling..." Edaline said with an all-knowing smile.

"Oh? I was? I... didn't notice," Sophie said, looking down at the table with her cheeks blushing.

"You're becoming a _Drooly Girl_!" Dex exclaimed. "We should have the ceremony! Valin would be more than happy to guide you through it..." he winked. Edaline sighed and muttered something to herself about Keefe influencing everyone too much.

"Shut up!" Sophie scowled at Dex, but a slight smile played on the edge of her lips.

* * *

Sophie stepped into Everglen's luscious gardens. It still never ceased to awe her.

Fitz seated himself on an ivy-covered bench, motioning for Sophie to do the same.

She sat inches apart from him, her heart racing as his beautiful teal eyes met her brown ones. She thought her eyes were dull, but Fitz always told her they were radiant.

Fitz slipped his hand into hers and Sophie prayed she wouldn't sweat.

"So," Fitz said, staring into her eyes.

"So," Sophie chuckled nervously. She fidgeted in her seat.

"Why don't we skip the talk?" Fitz suggested. "We both know the reason you came here."

Sophie smiled. "I think that's the best idea you've ever had."

Fitz curled his hand around the back of Sophie's neck, and the gesture sent tingles all over Sophie. His face was barely an inch away from hers. His lips brushed against her cheeks.

Sophie leaned closer, her breath warming Fitz's skin.

Finally, Sophie thought they'd procrastinated enough. She grabbed the back of Fitz's head and pulled him, giggling as they kissed.

"You didn't want to wait, huh?" Fitz said with his alluring moviestar smile.

"I couldn't," Sophie whispered. "And I can't." She tangled her fingers in his dark hair and pulled him back in, their lips meeting again.

"Uh, did I miss something?" a familiar voice asked. Fitz and Sophie jumped, ripping away from each other in surprise. Sophie nervously wrung her fingers. It was Keefe, but he wore a slight scowl on his face.

* * *

"Hi, Keefe," Sophie squeaked.

"It's time the Fitzphie got going serious!" Keefe declared, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

Fitz and Sophie wouldn't meet Keefe's eyes.

Keefe sighed. "Ugh, okay, so I'll cut to the non-embarrassing, boring old chase. Mr Forkle can't be rescued."

* * *

"What?" Sophie gasped, finally letting her eyes flicker up to Keefe's enticing ice-blue ones. Aargh! She just kissed Fitz! She couldn't let herself think like that!

"Yep." Keefe stared at the ground, kicking at a loose stone. After six hard kicks, it uprooted.

Fitz twined his fingers with Sophie's. "Hey. It's okay. We'll figure this out."

A shiver went up Sophie's spine. "What if we can't?" she whispered.

"We will," Keefe said. Then he cleared his throat, evidentially not meaning to sound sappy. "From what I heard, he can't be rescued with the original plan. But maybe we can make a new one!"

Fitz thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He whipped an Imparter out of his jerkin with his free hand. "Show me Sir Tiergan," he ordered.

A very chalky elf with olive skin and light blonde hair answered.

"Yes? Oh, Fitz." He sighed. "I suppose you're wanting full disclosure on what happened with the ambushes."

Fitz just gave a quick nod.

"I suppose... Very well." Sir Tiergan nodded. "The first one was a complete disaster. Ruy was there, and he brought Forkle with him."

He paused, pondering what to say.

"I suppose the Neverseen want the same powerful force that was caused by combining light with shadowflux. After all, it can penetrate force fields. Since their Shade, Umber, died, they needed Tam as a replacement. Now they want Wylie for the light portion."

"Why can't they just use one of their own Flashers?" wondered Sophie.

Sir Tiergan shrugged. "Wylie is powerful. Not your everyday Flasher you find on the streets."

Fitz motioned for him to continue.

Sir Tiergan nodded. "Well, these kidnappings were attempts to make Wylie join them. I doubt there is a mole, leaking out vital information, but somehow they found out about Mr Forkle's being alive." He was obviously refraining from saying, "_again_," which made Keefe cringe.

"But it is possible..." Sir Tiergan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I believe they may have forced it out of Wylie. He might have told them about the double Mr Forkle. Then they realized what a stretch of opportunities they had."

"But why not tell us he let it slip?" Fitz asked.

"He may have been threatened. The Neverseen have the upperhand with Prentice now. And... Wylie's joined them."

**A/N: Have I become evil yet? I feel like my cliffhangers get more drastic with each chapter. **


	7. Spur-of-the-Moments

7- Spur-of-the-Moments

SOPHIE LET OUT A long sigh.

At this point, she couldn't even cry.

Fitz squeezed her hand affectionately. "It's okay, Soph."

Sir Tiergan cleared his throat, as if to remind them, "No romantic moments, here! I don't want to see my two students make out!"

They both blushed. "Sorry..." Sophie mumbled, but she kept her hand in Fitz's for strength. Her eyes locked with Sir Tiergan's for a moment and they had a sudden moment of prodigy-mentor sympathizing.

"So. Wylie's joined them?" Keefe asked quietly, not able to crack a joke this time.

Sir Tiergan looked like he could hardly manage a nod. "Yes," he croaked.

"Everyone's going to the dark side. I guess it's the new hot trend," Sophie attempted at a moment of humor.

"I guess so," Keefe mumbled.

Sir Tiergan shook his head, sighing. "We've uncovered some things... and, well..."

"What?" Fitz asked, his teal eyes filled with curiosity, but behind it, Sophie could see he was trying to hide his downcast feelings.

Sir Tiergan sighed. "Well. It turns out that they do have both Mr Forkle and Prentice. But they're trying to do a full memory wipe and replacement. They want them to become full Neverseen members."

* * *

"Where'd you get that info from?" Sophie pressed.

"We have eyes and ears everywhere," came Sir Tiergan's tired response.

Sophie opened her mouth to question him further, but Sir Tiergan shook his head. "One day you will find out the full secrets the Black Swan have. But for now, you'll need to trust us."

Sophie muttered something about, you adults, and Keefe had an epiphany. "You guys have double agents?"

Sir Tiergan looked down at his feet. "Yes. We do. Will that answer suffice?"

Keefe shrugged. "I guess." But then his eyes brightened. "Can I become one?"

"You most certainly will not," Sir Tiergan barked sharply. A wail came from the distance. "I'm sorry I cannot explain more, but speak to Juline and Grady. They were there for most parts. Goodbye." He ended the call.

"Wow. That explained a lot," Fitz mumbled.

"Yeah," Sophie nodded.

"So, let's see... Wylie joined the Neverseen and they're trying to wipe Mr Forkle and Prentice's memories?" Keefe counted.

"Yep," sighed Fitz.

"And they told us about Mr Forkle... why?" Keefe mumbled, mostly to himself, but Sophie heard.

"I don't know. I guess the meeting was supposed to scare the Black Swan. But two meetings in one night? Yeesh," Sophie shook her head.

"One was at midnight and the other at dawn," Fitz argued teasingly. "One might say, in the same morning."

Sophie rolled her eyes.

"So," Fitz said, "we should probably tell your parents about us." Changing the subject. That was a good idea.

"Yeah," nodded Sophie.

Keefe sighed dramatically. "Are you forgetting I'm here?"

"Noooooo," Fitz said slowly.

"I guess you did!" Keefe cried out, fake-hurt, making Sophie roll her eyes again.

"Oh, Keefe," she muttered, but grinning all the same.

Then her smile faded. "Uh, I need something... Be right back!" Sophie hurried inside Everglen. It was like a second home to her, although it was a bit like a palace.

Tears gushed down her cheeks as she slammed the bathroom door shut. "Why?" she cried. She had managed to hold herself together for a long while, but now she just fell apart. Salty water rimmed her sight and she blinked.

Sophie clutched the edge of the sink and closed her eyes.

"Yo, Foster?" Keefe's good-natured voice came from outside the door.

"What is it, Keefe?" Sophie sobbed as she opened the door. She didn't even care that Keefe saw her like this.

All she was thinking about was how Mr Forkle and Prentice were going to be Neverseen members soon.

And Tam and Wylie already were!

She cried harder as Keefe steered her into his hesitant arms. But they were strong, and muscular. They were like a shield.

Sophie stopped crying after a few minutes and peered up into Keefe's beautiful ice-blue eyes.

"Sophie, I love you," Keefe burst out, completely out of the blue. Even he seemed surprised by his own outburst.

And it was obvious he was being serious, since he just called her 'Sophie.' Not 'Foster.' Sophie.

Sophie was confused about where Fitz would be, but she figured it would be rude to say it like that, especially when Keefe was baring his heart out to her.

"Y-y-you do?" Sophie stammered.

"I know you're with Fitz, but I just... I just had to get it out of me. Forget I ever said it," Keefe said quietly, starting to pull away from Sophie.

But Sophie leaned closer to Keefe's face and kissed him.

Keefe seemed in awe as Sophie ran her fingers through his articulately styled dirty-blonde hair. He wasn't upset that she was messing up "The Hair." Instead, he kissed her back.

When they pulled away, Keefe was looking dismayed. "But what about the Fitzster?"

Sophie seemed just as surprised and ashamed at the same time. "I'm sorry, Keefe. It... it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I like both you and Fitz so much..." Her voice trailed off and she turned to leave, when two teal eyes met hers. Two very angry teal eyes.

**A/N: Wow! Chapter 7! This story's come a long ways already!**


	8. Love is in the Air: Part 1

8- Love is in the Air: Part 1

FITZ WAS GLARING at Keefe now with fury and hurt.

"How...How could you?" he sputtered.

Keefe just backed away. "I'm sorry, dude."

"There is no _dude_!" Fitz spat out. "You just kissed my girlfriend!"

_Girlfriend? _

Since when had Sophie been Fitz's girlfriend? Sure, they kissed a few times, but did that really make them girlfriend and boyfriend? They had never discussed this! And now Fitz threw out the word like he was used to it!

Sophie liked both Keefe and Fitz, and she knew that was a dilemma. A _major _dilemma.

Keefe glanced down at the floor. "She kinda kissed me first," he mumbled heatedly.

Sophie's cheeks turned red when Fitz swiveled around to face her. His gorgeous teal eyes held confusion and injury. "Did you?" he whispered.

"I-I don't know, Fitz."

Keefe mumbled something about needing to get back home for Empathy lessons with his father, and he left.

Fitz stared at the floor, sighing. _I'm hurt, Sophie_, he transmitted.

Sophie winced, her eyes tearing up. She didn't mean for this to turn into such a big deal. The words Della had said when she first saw her flashed back into her brain: "_You'll be a heartbreaker one day."_ She had meant it as a compliment back then.

But now, they just made Sophie feel worse.

_I'm so sorry, Fitz. But we didn't talk about being girlfriend and boyfriend yet, and now you suddenly brought it up in the middle of a fight. That kinda sucks, _Sophie transmitted back, frustration lacing her mental voice.

_I'm sorry about that. I wanted to throw something back at Keefe. I love you, Sophie. _

Fitz... loved her? Ever since their first kiss the day before, Fitz had said only that he liked her a lot.

Nothing as strong as love.

_Y-you do? _Sophie's telepathic voice stammered.

_Yes. _

_I think I do, too, Fitz. I'm so sorry. It was so unfair of me to cheat on you. I truly didn't mean to. It was on a whim. I guess I didn't want to make Keefe feel bad._

Fitz seemed visibly less angry now. He transmitted back, _So, are we both back on good terms now?_

_Yes, _Sophie sent back, feeling better now that she apologized.

_Then... Sophie, will you officially become my girlfriend?_

Sophie's heart raced and butterflies gathered as a horde in her stomach. Fitz wanted her to be his girlfriend! It took all her might not to squeal.

_Yes, Fitz, I will. _

Fitz smiled, hugging Sophie. "Well then, my girlfriend. Shall we go to Atlantis together tomorrow night?" he asked out loud.

"Yes!" Sophie squealed now. On an impulse, she took Fitz's hands, tugged him closer, then kissed him. She glanced at him. "We shall, my boyfriend," she said in a high-pitched voice, smiling.

* * *

Sophie awoke the following morning feeling energetic and hyperactive.

She raced down the stairs and swung off the rails.

"Whoa there! What's going on today?" Grady asked. Yesterday at noon, he had returned from the ambush. He simply said that it had not worked when Sophie tried to interrogate him.

Sophie thought maybe it would be best to say it quickly. "FitzandIaregoingonadatetonight!" she squeaked out, blushing profusely.

Sandor, her bodyguard, stepped out of the shadows. He had seen most of the kissing going on between Fitz and Sophie, so he already knew what was going on. "She's going on a date with the Vacker boy," he explained, puffing out his goblin chest indifferently.

Edaline squealed so loudly that she had to have broken some windows. "OUR BABY'S GOING ON A DATE!" she shrieked. "You are _definitely _taking Vertina's advice on what to wear," she said sternly.

Vertina was Sophie's annoying spectral mirror that used to belong to Jolie, Grady and Edaline's older daughter that died in a fire. She was great at makeup advice, not-so-great at giving hints at important information Jolie told her.

Grady scowled. "Sandor's coming."

"Oooh! It could be a double date!" Edaline suggested. "Is Grizel coming?" she turned to Sandor.

It was his turn to blush. "Perhaps."

"Hmm, that's a good idea," Sophie said, rubbing her hands together in a maniacal way. If it was a double-date, then Sandor wouldn't be watching every single move that Sophie made on Fitz! That way, she'd get a little bit of privacy. "Yeah, we're doing it," she concluded, hugging her adoptive mother. "Gotta go, I can't be late for, uh..." She struggled to come up with an excuse so she wouldn't have to talk about the dreaded subject with her adoptive parents.

"Meeting with Dex to help him with his new invention," Sandor suppled.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Sophie said, a little too enthusiastically.

"Have fun!" Edaline called as Sophie scarfed down the rest of her breakfast and sped up the stairs to the Leapmaster.

* * *

Sophie eyed Sandor suspiciously as the goblin accompanied her to Rimeshire, Dex's house. Well, house actually understated it. It was more of an ice castle.

"So, let's talk about the double date," Sandor eventually said as they walked up the pathway to the house.

"AHA!" Sophie shrieked giddily. "I KNEW you were going to cash in that excuse you gave Edaline for me!"

"Partial excuse," Sandor reprimanded her. "I needed to talk to Lovise about a recent change in the bodyguard issuing."

Sophie widened her eyes. "Lovise is getting replaced?!" she squeaked out in alarm. Lovise was Dex's loyal goblin bodyguard.

"No, no, no," Sandor said calmly. "Lovise wanted a temporary relocation, but I took up the case for her."

"_Temporary relocation_?" Sophie screeched out.

Sandor covered his curved ears with his long, muscular, and burly, arms. "Could you stop shrieking? I think you've been rubbing off from Biana."

Even he noticed Biana's squealish nature.

"Okay," relented Sophie. "But seriously. Tell me what you meant by that, or else I'll hussle up Biana and we'll shriek our hearts out to you."

Sandor seemed genuinely afraid by the threat, so he quickly explained. "Lovise got married last week and she wants to go out on a honeymoon with her husband. So she asked me to discuss it with Queen Hylda, and I happily obliged. Dex's safety cannot be compromised, so we'll issue a temporary bodyguard for the week Lovise will be gone on her honeymoon."

"Who is the new bodyguard?" Sophie asked, resisting the temptation to fling herself at Sandor and scream at him for not announcing Lovise's marriage.

"Some younger goblin named Seirir."

Seirir?

"Okay, so since I told you about the relocating, will you let me-?" Sandor's squeaky voice was stopped short by the knocking on the door. Sophie.

He scowled. "I thought we-" His voice was cut away by the opening of the doors and a grinning Dex.

"Come in," he said, though he glanced at Sophie with a puzzled expression on his face.

Sandor groaned and glared at Sophie. "We will talk about this later," he said curtly.

"Of course we will," grinned Sophie. She stepped in and smiled apologetically at Dex. "I'm sorry we stopped by out of the blue, but Sandor wanted to discuss something with Lovise, and I came, too, and here we are."

Dex shrugged. "No, it's awesome. You guys can stop by any-" He was interrupted by screams from up the stairs. Accompanied by a very loud shatter. "The twins," he said loudly, over the caterwauling and smashing.

Sophie smiled and followed Dex into a large and very prettily decorated room. It had ice sculptures lining the walls, anything from an alicorn to a life sized statue of Dex. She remembered it from when Amy was in the Lost Cities. She had a pang of sadness; Amy was now in back with Sophie's old human family and though she kept her memories, they were still far apart.

What would Amy say if she heard Sophie was going on a date with Fitz?

She'd probably squeal. Just like Biana.

Bex, Rex, and Lex, Dex's younger siblings, who were triplets, by the way, came stomping down the stairs. "DUDE! I TOLD YOU! DON'T MESS WITH MY STUFF!" Rex was yelling at Lex.

"OH, YEAH?" Lex roared back. "WELL, CHECK OUT WHAT BEX DID TO YOUR FAVORITE TUNIC!"

Rex turned to Bex. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" he screamed.

Bex looked angrily at Rex. "I just gave it a makeover! It seriously needed some swirls! I mean, it was just a plain gray tunic! I figured you'd _thank _me!"

"THANK YOU? IT WAS FINE JUST THE WAY IT WAS!" Rex thundered, hitting Bex.

"DAAAAD!" Bex cried. "REX HIT ME!"

Dex sighed. "Let's go outside," he suggested, and Lovise and Sandor followed them out to the ice sculpture garden. "Sorry," Dex mumbled.

"It's okay. They're just kinda deranged today," Sophie said.

"They're _always _deranged," Dex sighed.

Sophie giggled.

* * *

Sophie's emotions skyrocketed that evening. She was feeling nervous, scared, elated, and worried all at the same time.

She even did something she'd _never, ever, ever _do.

She went to Vertina and asked her how she was supposed to dress for a date.

"Well, I mean, I guess it kinda depends on the boy's style," Vertina said. "If he's just kind of casual, wear a plain tunic and buttoned skirt. But your Fitz guy seems to be the dressy type, so I'd recommend a long dress with capri sleeves. In red, too. It's totally your color."

Sophie reluctantly trodded to the closet and yanked a long red dress with a short train, and laces. "A train?" she cried.

"It looks perf!" Vertina gushed. "Okay, now the makeup."

Sophie would now normally step out of Vertina's range, but she had to take all steps necessary. So when she walked out the room she ended up wearing thick mascara and six-inch heels. She was wobbling with every step she took. "Oh no," Sophie breathed when she reached the stairs. She trembled as she took one step. Two steps. Three steps. Four- Uh-oh.

Sophie tripped and tumbled down the stairs, only to be caught by a very handsome boy. Fitz.

"Where's my girlfriend?" he asked teasingly, his teal eyes lit up with amusement.

"Right here," Sophie said, kissing Fitz right on the lips.

"Uhhhhh."

Sophie pulled away and glanced to her left to see Grady. "Save the kissing for the date, will you?" Grady grumbled. "OR how about not at all?" he added brightly.

"No way," Sophie shook her head, making waves of blonde hair cascade over her shoulder. "I love Fitz." She kissed him again.

Grady muttered something incoherently and walked away, but Edaline yanked him back. "This is our Sophie, going on her first date!" she squealed.

"Hey, maybe I should change my heels to something more comfy. Be right back," Sophie said, quickly running up the stairs barefoot. She returned wearing sparkly red flats.

"I'm ready," she whispered.

Fitz took Sophie's slender hands in his and they walked outside, waving goodbye to Grady and Edaline.

Sandor and Grizel trailed behind them, also holding hands, though they tried to hide it.

"Come on, Soph," he whispered, pulling a crystal out of his pocket. "To Atlantis!"

**A/N: No cliffhanger this time, though the date certainly will be interesting. Uh-oh. Did I say too much?...**


	9. Love is in the Air: Part 2

9- Love is in the Air: Part 2

SOPHIE HELD Fitz's hand as they walked through Atlantis together.

Crowds of elves stared at the Vacker boy and the mysterious girl.

"Fitz," Sophie said, biting her lip as she glanced around. "Could we maybe find somewhere less crowded?"

"Sure," Fitz nodded, and Sophie could tell he felt uncomfortable, too, with all the elves watching their every move.

They found a more isolated corner of Atlantis and sat down. It was a pretty cafe on the edge of the street. Fitz and Sophie settled themselves down on a cushioned table that seemed similar to the humans' style of booth tables.

"What do you want to eat?" Fitz asked, gesturing to the runes engraved on the table.

"Whoa! The menu's on the table?" gaped Sophie.

"Yep," Fitz nodded, looking unfazed. "That's just how elves organize them."

"Whoa!" Sophie said again. "But, uh, I can't read them, remember? Could you list me a few options?"

"Okay." Fitz glanced down at the table, his eyes darting from left to right. "Hmm, there's blitzenberry dohre."

"Dohre?" Sophie asked, bemused.

"This is gonna take a while," Fitz muttered.

"You know you like explaining stuff to me," teased Sophie with a light smile.

Fitz blushed and gently tucked a strand of Sophie's blonde hair behind her ear. "I guess I do," he nodded. "Well, dohre is kinda like that humans thing- uh, I think it was bay-gal."

"Bagel?" Sophie guessed.

"Yes, that's it!" Fitz nodded. "It has the same shape, though it tastes like that other humans food- um, I think it was cupcake."

"Ooh, I'll take that, then," Sophie exclaimed, and though it sounded good, she mostly didn't want to tire Fitz out by asking him to read the entire menu and elaborate everything.

"All right..." Fitz mumbled some things under his breath as he read. "Hmm, I think I'll take the rujem." Sophie had no idea what 'rujem' was, but in any case she didn't want to embarrass herself more by her elvin-things-ignorance.

"Come on," Fitz beckoned once they decided. "Let's go get the food."

"Get? It's not delivered?" Sophie was confused. But of course it was different from human restaurants. This was an elvin cafe.

"Nope," Fitz said cheerfully as they walked up to the long counter, where a single elf stood behind.

"Hi. I'm Dea," the elf said dully. "Welcome to Maristol's Cafe."

They scooped the food onto their plates, and paid Dea as they scampered back to their table.

"Wow, this is kind of an abandoned business, isn't it?" Sophie commented as she dug into her dohre.

"A bit," Fitz admitted. "I would've wanted to take you to one of the fancier ones, but..." He sighed. "They were all fully booked tonight."

"I don't care where we eat, Fitz," Sophie said, reaching out to touch Fitz's cheek. "Only that I eat with you." She didn't care that it sounded cheesy; it was true. And also Vertina advised her that Fitz was the kind that ate up cheesy comments.

"Me, too, Soph," Fitz whispered, getting out of his side of the table and scooching beside Sophie. His breath was on Sophie's cheek. He brushed his hand over her cheek, wiping away a small blue blob from her blitzenberry dohre.

They were so close now, the tip of Sophie's nose touched Fitz's and Fitz ran his fingers through Sophie's silky blonde hair. "I love you, Sophie," he whispered.

Sophie blushed jalapeno-pepper-red. Strands of Fitz's dark hair were tangled in her fingers as she pulled him in and kissed him.

He smiled and once Sophie pulled away, he brought her back into paradise.

"Oh. We'd better go now," Fitz said as he checked his watch. "It's fifteen minutes past the time you told Grady and Edaline you'd come home. They must be anxious."

Sophie was in a state of nirvana when she and Fitz left the cafe. She had the strongest urge to kiss him again; but she needed to show some restraint. She didn't want to rely on her boyfriend to bring her happiness.

Sophie wrapped her fingers around Fitz's. She glanced up at him, and tried to read his expression.

He looked content, yet slightly worried.

"Is there something wrong, Fitz?" Sophie whispered as Fitz tightened his grip on her hand.

"Nah," he finally said, glancing up from his Imparter and meeting Sophie's lustrous brown eyes. "Dad's just...worried. I've never been gone on a date for this long."

The words made Sophie feel odd. Of course Fitz dated other girls before her.

It still didn't stop the hurtness from spreading through her, though. She averted her boyfriend's eyes for a moment and exhaled.

"Hey," Fitz said softly, "are _you _okay?"

"Yeah," she eventually replied, meeting his eyes again. "So you dated others before me, right?"

Fitz looked genuinely surprised and realization struck his eyes. "Yeah. But nothing as serious as with you, Soph. I promise," he murmured, twisting a loose strand of Sophie's hair and tucking it behind her ear with such gentility, Sophie gave in to the temptation and leaned into his hand.

They stayed like that for twenty minutes, Sophie's head leaning on Fitz's hand, and Fitz staring into her profound brown eyes.

A vibration sounded, surprising them both so much, they jumped up.

"Oh. It's my Imparter," Sophie mumbled. She reached for her pocket and pulled it out. It was Grady. "Yeah?" she said expectantly. "Hi, Grady," she said, tugging an eyelash out. "Uh, what's up?"

"You've been gone for thirty five minutes longer than you said you'd take! It's eleven o'clock!" Edaline appeared behind him, looking frantic.

"Uh-oh," muttered Sophie.

"Come home _right now, _young lady!" Grady barked sternly.

"Um, okay," Sophie said, disconnecting them. "Yeesh," she muttered.

* * *

Fitz walked her up to a five yards' distance from the house. "Are you sure you don't want to me to come with you and explain?" Fitz asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine, Fitz," Sophie said, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "You just worry about _your_ parents."

"Okay... If you're sure..." Fitz said uncertainly as he pulled a leaping crystal and held it up to the moonlight. He glanced back at Sophie, a smile tugging at his lips. "See you tomorrow," he said, stepping into the light.

Sophie sighed. It was time to deal with the overprotective parents.

* * *

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Grady shrieked, tearing at his hair.

"With Fitz," Sophie smirked.

"You are getting far too snarky, young lady!" Grady said, sighing.

Edaline came from behind him, a soft linen robe in her arms. "Here, Sophie," she said. "I bet you're cold from spending the night out."

"Yeah. A bit," admitted Sophie, gratefully slipping the robe on her half-bare and freezing arms. The goosebumps started to fade as the warmth from the robe rubbed on them. "I'm gonna go change, okay?" she said, hugging them both before going upstairs.

She exhaled sharply as the steamy water poured over her.

Sophie changed into her coziest and most fluffy pajamas ever, and snuggled into bed, imagining a pair of very soft teal eyes staring at her. That was her last thought as she drifted into oblivion.

* * *

Sophie rubbed at her eyes, smiling as she recalled the previous night.

She changed into a light blue tunic with long sleeves, and some thin grey leggings.

Just as she made her way out of her room to head for breakfast, her Imparter rang.

Fitz.

"Hi, Fitz," Sophie smiled, getting lost in his gorgeous teal eyes.

"Hey, Sophie," Fitz said, but he sounded uneasy. "Uh, I need to tell you something."

"What?" Sophie nearly jumped. Was he ditching her? She knew it; she was just not enough for him.

"Well, there's no easy way to put this."

Oh no... What was he going to say?

But nothing prepared her for the alarming statement he brought. "Linh's gone after her brother."

**A/N: Okay, have I gone to the dark side yet? I think I put cliffhangers in almost every chapter! **


	10. No Reason to Worry

10- "No Reason to Worry"

SOPHIE GASPED, PAIN erupting throughout her entire body. Like a robot, she touched the Imparter to disconnect the call, but unlike a robot, she fell to the floor and let out a plethora of sobs.

All her friends were slowly leaving her for the Neverseen.

Tam.

Wylie.

And now Linh.

What was the point of trying if she was just going to lose more friends in the effort? There wasn't one. Tears trickled like divided streams on her face, hazing her vision.

Her fisted hands slackened to open palms and she focused on breathing.

_Breathe, Sophie, breathe. _

But then. Why should she try to keep a latch on reality? All reality offered was depression and loneliness now.

Shadows blocking the light.

Pain crawling into every single vein.

Sadness covering any small source of joy.

She crumpled into a ball and closed her eyes. She never wanted to see light again.

* * *

Fitz knew he had to get to Sophie. He saw her eyes. They had a forsaken shadow veiling her usual hopeful gaze.

He just hoped Sophie could hold on.

For him.

* * *

Sophie blinked and light flooded her senses. "No light," she rasped.

"This isn't natural light, Sophie," a voice said. Sophie glanced around, taking in her surroundings. She was beside a lush lake like the one at Everglen. A small brook ran a few yards away from the lake.

There was a figure shrouded in a corner, beside a weeping willow type tree.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked quietly.

"I'm your subconscious," it replied pleasantly. The figure stepped into the light, revealing a tall, slender girl with long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders and touching the tip of her waistline. "Welcome to your subconscious mind, Sophie."

* * *

Fitz arrived at Havenfield minutes after Sophie had ended the call. He impatiently knocked at the door. Edaline answered, a sneaky smile spread on her face. "Hello, Fitz. Sophie is upstairs if you want to-"

Fitz didn't have time to banter with Edaline about how great Sophie was. He sped past Edaline, nearly knocking her down. He jogged up the stairs and found Sophie slumped against the wall, her eyes halfway closed, the half that was open was glassy.

"Sophie!" he whispered, shaking her gently. "Answer me!"

She didn't respond.

"Sophie," cried Fitz, taking Sophe into his arms and stroking her hair. "Sophie. Please!" She remained still.

Fitz unwavered. "Soph, I need you to wake up!" he murmured into her ear, a feat that would normally earn himself a slight blush and a kiss.

Nothing like that happened now.

Fitz lost it. "Sophie, I love you!" he shouted, shaking her in a feeble attempt to consciate her. It didn't work.

But unfortunately for him, that was the moment where Edaline and Grady came in. "Argh! They're taking things too..." Grady started to scream, but he stopped short when he noticed his adoptive daughter unconscious in Fitz's arms. "Far," he finished weakly.

* * *

"Normally, when I go into a mind the subconscious _is _the person," Sophie said, confused.

"Yes, but you're not broken yet, Sophie," her subconscious said. "You're still half conscious. Slowly we will merge as one... One subconscious. But for now, we'll be two separate figures of mind."

"Oh," Sophie said, unfazed. "So, uh, where are we?"

"Your happy place," her subconscious smiled. "The meadow and Everglen fused together."

"What meadow?" Sophie blinked.

"The one where Silveny often roams," her subconscious replied, distantly staring at the lake's gentle waves. "Sophie, you know, you still have a chance to return to consciousness. You're on a direct path to breaking, but you can keep it together and push your guilt away."

"Wait, so this was a break?" Sophie asked, watching the lake. She found it strangely calming.

"Yes," Sophie-the-subconscious said, sighing.

"But... Alden had a break in Exile, when we were healing Fintan," Sophie said, slowly trying to make sense of her situation. "And he returned. But it turned out he was half-broken, and he shattered later on."

Her subconscious only nodded and they gazed at the lake's ripples.

* * *

Fitz took a deep sigh. His girlfriend was in trouble.

And he needed to do something.

He touched Sophie's temples to make a better connection and he delved into her mind.

* * *

"Uh-oh. We've got a visitor," Sophie's subconscious said darkly, turning to face Sophie.

"Who is it?" Sophie asked, curious. She drew her attention away from the lake and to her subconscious.

"Don't know yet," her subconscious replied, "but I'm gonna give them a surprise they've never expected."

"What if it's a good person?" Sophie asked. "Someone with good intentions?"

"Well... We can't take the risk that they might be bad." Sophie's subconscious vanished into the air, rippling through it.

"Weird," sang Sophie as she sat down beside the lake. Smiling, she rubbed her hand into the soft sand, sifting through it. She could relax. Nothing bad was going to happen. She forgot all about what her subconscious told her.

As far as she knew, she was in paradise.

* * *

Fitz pushed through Sophie's dark mind. "Sophie?" he transmitted. Nobody answered.

In fact, his words were just absorbed by her mind.

Fitz searched for anything familiar.

Any familiar memory.

He trudged through the oddly quiet mind and glanced at a few strewn memories.

Gethen, pointing a melder at Dex.

Lady Gisela tumbling from the snowy cliff.

Mostly, a bunch of negative ones concerning the Neverseen.

He saw a shiny memory tucked aside from the rest. He ventured to it, staring at it. It had cracks stemming from the bottom of it, although he could see a hazy picture of what it was. It was _him. _

He was embracing Sophie, and her thoughts floated around vigorously in the memory.

_His teal eyes are so dazzling..._

_...Does he really love me?..._

_ It seems too good to be real..._

Fitz mentally blushed at Sophie's thoughts swirling around the memory. But it was faded. And cracking.

Did that mean what he thought it meant?

Sophie was... shattering.

**A/N: Dun-dun-dun!**


	11. A Sight for Sore Teal Eyes

11- A Sight for Sore Teal Eyes

FITZ BROKE FREE of Sophie's mind and fell to the ground, gasping heavily, his eyes clouded with concern.

"Is Sophie okay?" Edaline cried, reaching to touch Sophie's cheek, which was still slick from her panicked tears. "Fitz?" she turned to face Fitz, who was running his fingers through his fine hair.

Grady mumbled something about fetching Elwin. Fitz turned to him, his teal gaze steadily hiding his panic that was attacking him from every side. "Elwin _can't _fix this," he said thickly.

"H-h-he can't?" Edaline stammered, clutching her stomach as she perused Fitz's horrible words.

"No," Fitz said quietly, staring at Sophie, tears threatening to pour out of the same teal eyes that Sophie thought were _dazzling_. No. He had to stay strong. For Sophie.

He swallowed his tears and blinked. How could he say this? "No," he repeated. "Sh-she's shattering. Her mind is breaking. This was a break."

* * *

Sophie's subconscious blinked back into view.

"Did you get him to leave?" Sophie asked her slyly.

"Eh," her subconscious shrugged. "He left of his own accord. I don't know." She turned to Sophie, her gaze serious and deep. "Sophie, you have got to get yourself together. I know who it was now."

"Who?" Sophie asked. Her memories were fading now. She couldn't recollect how many Telepaths she knew.

"Fitz. Your boyfriend, remember?" Sophie-the-subconscious said. She sighed. "He seemed seriously upset, Sophie."

Sophie blinked. Fitz. Oh. Now she vaguely remembered kissing a boy with teal eyes.

Fitz.

The boy that comforted her when she needed it.

Who let her hurl all over him, but didn't complain, nor spread the word about Sophie's humiliating predicament to anybody.

Who was worried about her.

"He did?" she asked softly.

"Yes," her subconscious nodded. "Sophie, as much as we understand each other, and as great as it would be to have company in the deepest, most un-visited areas of your mind, you _need _to return to reality."

A painstakingly familiar memory hit Sophie. Right before she shattered, Fitz told her Linh joined the Neverseen to be with her brother.

Pain began to flood Sophie's fingertips and ears. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No," she said again, but this time firmly. "I'm never going back to the harshness of reality. Never."

"Okay," her subconscious shrugged. "Not even for Fitz, though?"

"I-I would. But he can find himself a stronger girlfriend. One that he actually deserves."

"I don't want anyone but you, Sophie," a familiar crisp voice came from behind her.

Fitz had entered her subconscious.

* * *

Sophie swiveled around to face her boyfriend, in the mental flesh.

"Fitz?" she said questioningly.

Fitz knew he had to tread carefully. Sophie could be extremely sensitive right now. "Soph," he said cautiously, "Grady and Edaline are worried sick about you." He paused. "I am, too."

Sophie-the-subconscious gushed. "Well, isn't that the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" she said in a Southern drawl.

"Who's that?" Fitz asked, blinking at Sophie's subconscious.

"I'm Sophie's subconscious!" she smiled. "You can just call me Subconsh, though, if that makes it any easier."

"It doesn't," Fitz put in.

"Eh, well, use the nickname, anyway. Nobody comes down here, so I never got a chance to use it," Subconsh said, winking.

"Don't get any ideas, Subconsh," Fitz said, raising an eyebrow. "Soph's my girlfriend. Like I just said a moment before, I only want her."

"Weeeell, we're technically the same person-" she started.

"Nope!" Fitz blocked his ears to stop Subconsh's convoluted explanations.

"Wait, so I'm your girlfriend?" Sophie asked, blinking. She hardly remembered anything now, beyond the moments spent in her mind.

"Y-yes." Fitz looked hurt, as well as worried.

"Okay." Sophie squinted her eyes as if in concentration.

"Look, I don't want to interrupt- anything-" he glanced around at Sophie's mental paradise. "-but I need to bring you back, Soph."

Sophie sighed. "Fitz, I don't want to go back. It's as easy as that," she finalized.

* * *

"You don't want to go back?" Fitz sputtered. His girlfriend basically had said she didn't want to return to him.

Sophie glanced down at the sandy lakeshore. "Here, I don't have any problems. Here, the Neverseen doesn't exist." She gave a dry laugh. "Do you think I actually want to go back to all those issues?" By issues, Fitz knew she meant breakdowns.

"Here, I don't exist," Fitz said gently. Trying to help Sophie realize what situation she was in.

Her eyes widened as she pondered Fitz's blunt, but straightforward, comment.

"I-I guess," she stammered. Then her eyes cleared. "But you _could_. You could stay in my mind," she offered.

"There are great drinks here," Subconsh added, holding out a tray of coconut-smoothies with loopy straws poking out.

"What are those...? Oh, never mind." Fitz knew he didn't have time to have a human discussion board with Sophie and Subconsh. He needed to figure out a way to convince Sophie to return.

"Please. Come for me. And Grady. And Edaline. And Dex. And Keefe. And-" Sophie held up a hand to interrupt Fitz's rant.

"I-I'll try. For you, Fitz," she whispered.

"Okay. Follow me." Sophie waved a brief goodbye to Subconsh, and they made their way through Sophie's intricate mind maze.

Sophie opened her eyes to true light pouring into her eyelids.

* * *

"Sophie!" Edaline squeezed Sophie so tight Sophie thought she'd be strangled.

"Okay... Can't... Breathe," Sophie wheezed, and Edaline finally let go of her vise grip.

Fitz glanced at her, his labored breaths very loud. "Sophie, I thought I'd lost you."

Sophie nodded. "I know, Fitz." She cried into Fitz's strong chest, tears smearing onto his tunic. She tried to pull away, but Fitz held her tighter.

"Don't ever do that again," he whispered, caressing her hair.

"I won't," Sophie breathed, her chin tickling Fitz's. She rubbed his neck and drew his head to meet hers for a long lasting kiss. They closed their eyes, smiling against each other's lips. Sophie heard a very loud cough and they pulled away awkwardly. Grady.

Edaline scolded Grady and dragged him off to the kitchen.

Sophie smiled nervously. "Sorry, they're so embarrassing sometimes-" she started, but Fitz already pushed his lips against hers. Kissing her passionately once again. He pulled away and cradled Sophie's head softly.

"I love you, Fitz." Sophie cringed at how sappy her words sounded.

"I love you, too, Sophie," Fitz replied, nonplussed. He trailed his fingers alongside her cheeks, the soft gesture making Sophie shiver with delight. She glanced up and saw deep concern furrowing in Fitz's façade.

"I'm okay, Fitz," she said to assure any worries he had.

"Are you, though?" Fitz wiped a loose tear that was trickling its way down the bridge of her nose.

Sophie smiled sheepishly. "Yes, Fitz."

Fitz sighed, tilting Sophie's chin up- the all-too-familiar gesture that Sophie had come to get used to. "I know you're not exactly feeling great right now, Soph. So why don't we do something to take our minds off everything?" By 'everything,' he meant all the elves that gallivanted off to join the Neverseen.

"Okay. Like what?" Sophie asked.

"Hmmm. Maybe we could, I don't know, go on another get-together. Just you and I."

"So, basically, a date?" Sophie said with a smile, her brown eyes scrunching up with amusement.

"In the most basic form, yes," Fitz winked, though Sophie thought she spotted traces of a blush on his cheeks.

Sophie grinned. She was going on a second date with her amazing boyfriend!

Just then, someone traipsed up the stairs. Sophie groaned, covering her mouth. "Not Grady," she muttered, recoiling in embarrassment.

"Nope. It's..."

Sophie glanced up. She met a pair of smirky ice-blue eyes. "Keefe," she finished for him, sighing.

Exactly how much did he hear? She saw nervousness hidden in Keefe's trademark smirk, anxiety in the way he wrinkled his nose, and... some other emotion she just couldn't identify.

Did he see their kiss? Sophie hoped not.

She didn't want the world to know about her newfound relationship with Fitz Vacker.

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter was super-cheesy. I LOVE CHEESY! It makes me cringe and grin crazily at the same time, although I guess that's its intended reaction. **


	12. The Butterflies in My Heart

12- The Butterflies in My Heart

"SO," SOPHIE coughed. "Uh, how much did you hear?"

Keefe smirked. "Don't worry, Foster! Your secret is safe with me!" he winked. "Even though we all already knew about Fitzphie."

Sophie groaned, covering her face with her palms to hide her deep blush. Fitz sighed. "It's okay, Soph. Keefe already knew, remember?"

"He... did?" Sophie asked, puzzled. She detached her hands from her face and glanced back at Keefe.

"I did, Sophie. I was just teasing you. You don't remember?" Keefe said quietly.

"I don't," confessed Sophie. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remember moments she had with Fitz before they dated.

Nothing popped up.

She tried even harder, but this time, a vague memory surfaced. She and Fitz were under a soft tree, its branches swaying above them. Fitz was brushing a strand of her hair, and they were near kissing when Keefe interrupted.

"Oh. I think I do now," Sophie whispered, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Keefe seemed genuinely worried. "Foster, are you okay?"

Sophie bit her lip and tore out five eyelashes, one after the other. "Yeah." She refrained from adding, "I guess."

"It doesn't seem that way to me. Trust me on that one. I'm an Empath, remember?" Keefe simpered for a moment, and then his smile crumbled. "I'm feeling a ton of confusion. So much." He blinked and staggered. "Wow," he breathed.

Sophie raced to help him get up. "Are _you _okay, Keefe?"

"I'm good, Sophie, but what I'm worried about is you." His words nearly knocked Sophie down. His ice-blue eyes peered at Sophie caringly. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Just... just remember I'm here for you if you need me," Keefe whispered, touching Sophie's cheek. Making her heart pound faster and faster. Urgh! The stupid butterflies in her heart were going absolutely crazy now!

"Thank you, Keefe," Sophie murmured, letting go of Keefe's hand and nodding.

She glanced at Fitz. His teal eyes were narrowed, anger hissing out of his heated glare. At Keefe.

"Fitz, what is it?" she asked, gently unclenching his fist. She smiled. "It's so strange now, that after being the one to shatter, I'm the one asking everyone if they're fine."

Fitz's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Soph." He glared back at Keefe. "Hands off, dude."

Keefe held his hands up in mock-surrender and he backed away, toppling down the stairs, collapsing on the last step. Sophie sighed. "Must girls always have to fix boys' messes?" She closed her eyes and reached out with her telekinesis, lifting Keefe up to his feet.

"Keefe, I think you should go now," Fitz called down the stairs. "You're getting Sophie's clumsiness!"

"Hey!" protested Sophie with a slight grin. "You know you like it."

"Yes, because then I can hold you," Fitz said with a blush, twirling his girlfriend around playfully.

They stared dreamily at each other.

Fitz stared into Sophie's deep brown eyes, reminiscing about when he first met her in a museum, in the Forbidden Cities. And now they were dating. They were in love.

Sophie got lost in the haze of Fitz's beautifully teal eyes. She was remembering how she had this crush on him ever since they met. And now they were dating. They were in love.

* * *

Sophie smiled at her boyfriend as they sat down at the table, in the fanciest place to eat in the Lost Cities.

Fitz had booked it ahead of time. "This is so nice, Fitz. Just remember not to put pressure on where we eat, because-"

"I know, I know," Fitz said teasingly, touching Sophie's nose with a sly grin on his face. "_It doesn't matter where we eat, as long as I can kiss you!_" he said in a high-pitched tone that made Sophie giggle.

"Y'know, Keefe can do better with that mimicking," she chortled. "You sounded like a kazoo."

Fitz glowered. "Keefe's popped up in a lot of our conversations lately."

"He's a good friend. Why can't he?" Sophie frowned at her boyfriend disapprovingly.

Fitz narrowed his eyes as he forked a piece of his food. "Well, I hope you don't feel anything more than that. It's Keefe this, Keefe that. What about _me_, Sophie?"

Sophie furrowed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean, Fitz?" She reached out for Fitz's hand and laced her fingers into his.

"I mean, are you having second thoughts about dating me?" Fitz said.

Direct way to put it. "No!" Sophie said, a little quickly. Fitz raised his eyebrows. "No," she said more calmly. "Fitz, I love you so much. I felt that way ever since we first met. Do you honestly think I'd be having second thoughts three years later, when my dream finally has come true?"

"I hope not," Fitz whispered, twirling Sophie's fingers.

Sophie smiled gently. "Let me put all uneasiness at rest." And with that, she leaned in and gave Fitz the most romantic kiss he'd ever received.

* * *

Edaline blinked. "So you're telling me Sophie might have shattered?" She fainted into Grady's arms.

Grady peered down at his wife, sighing. He glanced back up at Alden expectantly. "That is what my son says, yes," Alden nodded. Grady's lips thinned into a grimace.

"Are you sure, Alden?"

"From the signs Fitz explained to me, it is very possible she may shatter again, next time for real." Alden sighed.

"But...isn't she the only one who can Heal minds?"

* * *

Sophie waved at Fitz and blew him a kiss as she entered her house. It felt strangely empty.

She entered the kitchen and found Edaline hyperventilating with a tear-streaked face. "But, Grady... Even you agreed! She's the only one who can heal minds, how can she heal herself?"

"Oh..." Sophie realized what they were discussing and flushed.

"S-s-s-s-s-s..." Edaline stammered.

"-ophie! We're glad you just came back from your date with the Vacker boy!" Grady continued for Edaline, smiling far too widely. "We were just talking about what's for dinner!"

Sophie wasn't stupid; she knew what they had been talking about. She put her arms on her hips and stifled a giggle. "Sure, yeah," she nodded. "Dinner stuff." She mounted a chair and tapped her fingers on the table. "Sooooo, what did you have planned?"

Edaline appeared extremely flustered. "Ah, well, er, uh, I, uh, um, I."

Grady, again, had to step in for his disorientated wife. "Roasted brattails coated with zori, or flukaros stew and chash."

"Uh, the brattails, then," Sophie forced a smile to her cheeks. She was trying to lighten the situation, but, unfortunately, how did you lighten something as bad as a mind shattering, and sanity at stake? You really couldn't.

Edaline nervously snapped her fingers and a plate of footballs appeared. "Ooh, cool!" Sophie reached to grab one, but she already conjured them away.

"How'd you get those?" Sophie asked, in awe.

"What were they, anyway?" Edaline frowned at where the footballs had been a moment ago.

"Footballs!" Sophie exclaimed. She sighed at Grady and Edaline's perplexed expressions. "Human thing," she said.

"Ah," Edaline nodded. She faintly smiled and attempted to Conjure dinner again. She snapped her fingers, squinting in concentration. Finally, a platter with a goopy soup popped up on the table. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sophie. I accidentally conjured flukaros stew instead of brattails. Just let me try again."

"Nah, y'know, Fitz has been telling me about this marvel of food. I should try it!" Sophie lied with a convincing smile.

"Okay, then." Edaline didn't Conjure the food away. Sophie gulped the soup down and ate the chash, which tasted surprisingly like French baguettes and honey.

"Good night, Sophie," her adoptive parents chorused and she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

* * *

Sophie pulled the covers over herself and sighed. She glanced over to the doorway, where two figures stood. Tarina and Bo were taking the shift tonight.

Sometimes having seven bodyguards could be tiresome.

Nubiti, her dwarf bodyguard, had gone with her and Fitz on their date that day.

Sophie closed her eyes, preparing herself for sleep. Suddenly, a very loud voice screamed in her head. _Sophie! Sophie okay?_

_Silveny? _sighed Sophie.

_Sophie okay? Sophie okay? Sophie okay?_ Silveny chimed.

_Yes, I'm okay, Silveny, _Sophie transmitted to the motherly alicorn. _How are Luna and Wynn? _

A vivid picture blinked into Sophie's mind. Two little alicorns, knocking each other over with some sort of tackle game. Greyfell and Silveny were watching from the sidelines with amusement.

"Aww," she said aloud.

"You're supposed to be sleeping!" Tarina's voice came from the shadows of her room.

"Whatever!" Sophie called back, smiling at the alicorns dancing in her mind.

Silveny must have somehow realized Sophie was feeling down, and decided to cheer her up. _Thanks, Silveny, _Sophie transmitted, before falling fast asleep.

* * *

"Today's the first day of school!" chirped a far-too-perky voice. Sophie groaned and pulled the covers up her head.

"Sophie, come on! I made breakfast!" The magic words awoke Sophie. She tossed the covers aside and nodded good morning to Edaline, who was standing beside her bed. She raced to the bathroom, where she attempted to tame her pineapple hair.

"Vertina!" Sophie ran to her spectral mirror. Very reluctantly, she sighed. "I need your help with my hair."

Vertina blinked into view. "Okay, so first, you'll need a double-twined brush..."

Sophie twisted her hair into a side braid with petals embroidered into each plait. She jogged downstairs to find Fitz, holding a box of ripplefluffs. "You look beautiful, Soph," he said, handing her the box. "For the first day of school." Sophie was so stunned by his sweetness that she tackled him with a kiss.

They were both red when Sophie pulled away.

"You're so thoughtful, Fitz," she giggled, slipping her hand into his as they walked up the stairs to the Leapmaster.

* * *

"Welcome back to another year of excitement, prodigies!" Magnate Leto's voice boomed through Foxfire. Fitz and Sophie were still holding hands, their bodies brushing against each other.

"Yeah, a fun-filled year of pranks," Keefe grinned. Sophie glanced over to see him attach a gulon to the wall.

"Fitz, we really should-" A very horrible stench filled the room. Sophie coughed. "Get out of here," she finished dryly.

Fitz narrowed his eyes as something in the crowd caught his eye. "Hey!" he barked, letting go of Sophie's hand as he gave chase. "What are _you _doing here?"

**A/N: Ooh! Another sharp cliffhanger! **


	13. Complications

13- Complications

SOPHIE TRIED to find Fitz in the flurry of students gathered throughout Foxfire. It was _very _hard. She finally managed to spot him beside a crowd of tall elves wearing circlets. _The Council. _

What were they doing here? She rushed over to Fitz and glanced at Councillor Emery, who looked imperial in his usual circlet-and-robe, as well as his haughty expression.

"Sophie," Councillor Oralie nodded.

Sophie did a quick count of the number of Councillors standing there.

Darek, Noland, Emery, and Oralie. Four. Oh, no. It couldn't be. Councillor Alina made her way through the crowd of gawking elves. "No need for such fuss," she scoffed, dusting off her cape as she arrived. "We are merely here to oversee the new year at Foxfire."

Yeah, right! Sophie smirked. Like the high-and-mighty Council would take part in such unimportant affairs.

Fitz narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, why do I have this niggling doubt that you guys wouldn't really care this much about education."

"Yeah, you know what? I have it, too," Sophie came to Fitz's defense.

Emery raised his eyebrow. "We care _very much so _about our youth's education. After all, many elves here may as well grow to become Emissaries because of Foxfire. We owe it to our prestigious academy to secure a-"

Fitz interrupted. "Why don't you just cut to the chase and explain why you're actually here."

"Why don't we?" Oralie agreed. "They know we are short on time."

Emery sighed. "Very well." He adjusted the strap on his cape and narrowed his eyes. "We have heard news that several of our students have left the academy to pursue... other interests."

"If by 'other interests' you mean joining the Neverseen," Sophie said.

"A more vulgar way to put it, but, yes," Emery nodded. "Wylie was very popular in the Silver Tower. Many prodigies are also wondering where Tam and Linh have gone." He sighed. "We are here to put the public at ease."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "More like to stop an outcry." She chortled.

"If you'll excuse us," Emery cleared his throat, "we need to get to work."

"Of course," Sophie smiled dramatically. "We will let you get to it. That oh-so-important work."

"Too much Keefe," Darek shook his head.

Sophie grabbed Fitz's hand and she tugged him to the corner of the room, where only a few elves loitered. "Hey! I was just gonna interrogate them!" her boyfriend protested.

Rolling her eyes again, Sophie yanked Fitz by the neck and kissed him long and hard. "There we go. Are you calm now?" she grinned against his lips.

Fitz blushed. "Yes," he said quietly, probably not meaning for Sophie to hear, but she did nonetheless.

They pulled away and blushed rapturously at each other. "So, um, I, uh, heard there was a double mallowmelt night tonight at my place," Fitz mumbled.

"Another date?" giggled Sophie. "Fitz, you are absolutely desperate."

Fitz blushed some more. "So..."

"Yes. To answer your yearning question, yes. I will." Sophie reached for his neck again, ready to kiss him.

"Hehehe..."

The couple spun around to see Keefe, holding a gulon by its scruff. "Aww, man!" Keefe cursed.

Sophie sighed. "Were you going to stick that between us?"

Fitz narrowed his eyes, protectively enveloping an arm around Sophie.

"It would've been a very smelly kiss," laughed Keefe.

Fitz and Sophie glared. "Not. Funny," Fitz said through gritted teeth.

Keefe held up his hands. "Whoa, dude! Don't take it so seriously!"

"I take my girlfriend very seriously." And just like that, Fitz pulled Sophie with him and they disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

"Fitz, are you angry with Keefe?" Sophie asked worriedly as her boyfriend weaved through the elves scattered throughout Foxfire. "Whoa!" She dove out of the way of an incoming professor.

"Are you okay, Sophie?" Fitz verified, pulling Sophie up to her feet.

"Yeah, pretty much. But, Fitz?"

"A bit, Soph. It's been obvious I'm dating you, but Keefe still flirts with you. And you actually _like _that." He shook his head.

"No way! Keefe respects our love for each other. He wouldn't try to force us apart in any way, Fitz. He wouldn't try to flirt with me," Sophie said indignantly. "And I would not tolerate it even if he did."

"Whatever," Fitz sighed, leaning against the sturdy wall.

"Fitz," Sophie said tearfully. "I don't want to break you and your best friend apart. If..." Her voice broke. "If I'm ruining your friendship, maybe we should just break up."

"Sophie, no! I would never do that!" Fitz started, but Sophie was gone. He sighed. "What have I done?"

* * *

Sophie dived into the nearest bathroom and soaked her face with water. She glanced up at herself in the mirror. Wow. What boy in his right mind would want _her_?

She broke up even the most trusting and closest of friendships.

She wasn't beautiful at all.

She hardly ever did anything that actually benefited anyone.

She only hurt the ones she loved.

Sophie cried, rubbing at her tearstained face.

She was weak.

* * *

"Soph!" Fitz yelled, pushing through hordes of elves. "SOPHIE!"

He bumped into the last person he wanted to see in the Lost Cities.

"What do you want, Keefe?" Fitz glared, rubbing his arm that had collided with Keefe's very sharp teeth.

"Just wondering what's up with Foster," Keefe shrugged. "She came tearing through the crowd crying."

"Where'd she go?" Fitz asked.

"I think to the bathrooms-" Keefe started, but Fitz pushed Keefe aside and sprinted for the bathrooms, as fast as his legs could take him.

* * *

Sophie leaned against the door, every inch of her being shivering with sadness.

With sorrow.

With heartbreak.

She did it. She broke up with Fitz. The person she loved so much. So, so, so much. She wanted to just leap into his arms and kiss him.

And for him to kiss her back.

But that wasn't happening. Sophie just solved all of Fitz's problems. Why would he want to run back to them? He wouldn't. He _shouldn't. _

Sophie trembled and shook, her tears slamming down on her plaid Foxfire uniform. She was a Level Five. Why was she crying? "You are freaking fifteen years old! Get a hold of yourself!" Sophie thought aloud.

"S-sophie?" The most beautiful voice in the world spoke. Crisp and accented, Sophie just wanted to tie her ears to the gorgeous sound. A knock ensued. "Sophie?" There it was again. All she wanted was to swoon into his caressing arms. All she wanted was to kiss him.

"Y-y-yeah?" Sophie stammered.

"Could you open the door, please?" Fitz's soft voice pleaded.

Sophie sniffed. "Okay." She creaked the door open. There he was, the light shining on him from up above. Like a spotlight. She resisted the temptation to fling herself into his arms and get lost in his teal eyes.

"Sophie, I love you. I don't want to break up with you," Fitz said quietly.

"I don't either, Fitz," Sophie murmured.

"Then why?" Fitz begged. Sophie let out a long sniffle; Fitz pulled out a handkerchief. "Here," he offered.

Sophie managed a faint smile. "Thanks," she mumbled, blowing her nose into it, breathing in the faint smell of Fitz's cologne mixed into its cloth.

"Please, Soph. Let's stay together, okay?" Fitz whispered, brushing his hand on her forehead.

Sophie gave in. "Okay."

Fitz's breath tickled Sophie's cheek as he got closer and closer... and finally his lips reached Sophie's. Through his kiss, Sophie felt waves of soothing love overlap her. She smiled. "I love you so much, Fitz," she whispered as they kissed. It felt forevermore.

When she pulled away, breathless, Keefe stood behind Fitz. "I guess you guys are meant to be together," he crackled. One lone tear swirled down his cheeks. He swiveled around and, with a hunched back, he walked away.

**A/N: Okay, so now I feel torn between Sophitz and Sokeefe now. _Very _torn. Fitz is sweet and smitten. Keefe is loving and knows just what to say to cheer Sophie up. Both have great traits. And it's SO hard for me to decide! I technically said Sokeefe would overpower in the first chapter, but I never exactly know in what direction my writing's going in. ****One second I think, oh, Sokeefe is DEFINITELY going to happen! The next, I'm on Team Sophitz. Honestly, I want to mix a lot of Sophitz in either way, so Fitzphie fans will get loads of fan opportunities. Sokeefe will have its moments, although this isn't a complete Sokeefe fanfic. ****So, I'm just saying, I'm not exactly set on one ship for this fanfiction.**

** Also, jsyk, I have information about my fanfics' update dates and more on my profile. **

**Additionally, before I close this author's note and start working on Chapter 14, thank you, everyone, for reading and supporting my work!**


	14. A Jumble of Feelings

14- A Jumble of Feelings

"KEEFE," SOPHIE breathed, glancing back at Fitz to see his expression. He appeared half satisfied, half regretful. Complete opposites.

Sophie dove into Fitz's warm arms. "Fitz," she sobbed. "I don't want to be a heartbreaker! Why can't I just choose one boy and there's no aftermath?"

Fitz sighed, caressing Sophie's back. "Keefe will come around. He will, trust me." A crackle of silence followed, and then Fitz whispered, "I hope."

* * *

Sophie threw herself onto her bed, letting out a long sigh. "Uh oh. Did I hear a sigh?" Edaline walked into the room.

Sophie shrugged. Edaline raised her eyebrows, making her way to Sophie's bed, having to dodge the books splayed all over the floor. "Soph, you really have got to clean this up!" Edaline laughed as she nearly tripped over Sophie's rather thick and soggy elvin-history book. Edaline noticed its appearance and sighed. "What happened to your book?"

She picked it up and examined it at an angle. "It looks like you took it with you and studied in the shower!" She chortled at this, but noticed Sophie's neutral expression. "Hey," Edaline said softly, settling herself beside Sophie on the bed. "Is everything okay?" When Sophie didn't answer, Edaline wiped a stray tear from Sophie's eye. "I hope Grady and I can help whatever you're going through." At this, Sophie sighed. Edaline put a firm hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Sophie, you are _strong_. Don't let yourself think otherwise. Okay?"

Sophie shrugged. "How do you know that I am? What if inside, I'm just a pathetic little girl with her dreams held like a porcelain vase?" she whispered. "Ready to shatter at any moment at all. Just like my mind."

Edaline's eyes widened and she hurried to hug Sophie. She seemed unsure of what to say. Finally, she responded.

"Sophie, everyone feels like that at one point. I did. Grady did. When Jolie.."

Her voice warbled, but she continued. "When Jolie died, so did I. At least, it felt like that. I felt broken. I very nearly was on the verge of shattering. But Grady held me together and we somehow managed to survive. And then..."

She smiled a genuine smile. "And then, oh, Sophie. You came in, and it was as though you shone a light on our lives. You saved us from a life of loneliness and withdrawal."

Sophie's eyes widened with each word.

Edaline smiled again and squeezed Sophie's hand tightly. "Just please remember that we're here if you need us."

Sophie nodded. "I will." In a quieter voice, she whispered, "Thanks, Mom."

* * *

Sophie stabbed at her mallowmelt. She glanced at Fitz, who sat down beside her, his chair settled only an inch away from hers. Smiling, Fitz took her hand in his and ate with only one hand. Sophie tried to scrutinize everyone's reaction to this.

Biana was rolling her eyes.

Alden was pretending he didn't see anything.

And Della was grinning like crazy.

Sandor... Well, he wasn't in the room. He had come with her to the Vackers' dinner. He said that even though Grizel had an acceptable amount of skills to be left with two charges, he didn't want to take any chances.

Yeah, right! Sophie knew he really just wanted to dance with Grizel some more.

Also, she wondered what Grizel would have to say about the whole only-acceptable thing.

She'd probably force seventy more dances out of Sandor.

Sophie snorted at this, causing quite a few looks to turn her way. "What is it?" Biana asked, turning her gaze from her mallowmelt to Sophie.

"Uh, Silveny just sent me some super-cute pictures of Luna and Wynn," Sophie lied, not wanting her bodyguard's face to be bashed in.

"Awww! What were they doing?" Biana asked, her eyes clearly desiring to know.

"Ah, nothing much. Mostly just knocking each other down in the grass," Sophie said as she stuffed a huge piece of mallowmelt in her mouth.

Biana squealed. "AWW! SUPER ADORBS!"

Sophie didn't really know what else to say, so she just chewed another fluffy chunk of mallowmelt. Fitz seemed to realize what his girlfriend was going through. "Uh, so did you guys see that bramble match last week?" he asked Sophie.

"Oh my gosh! I just missed a once-in-a-decade opportunity?" Sophie gasped.

"Pretty much," shrugged Biana.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Elves have indefinite lifespans, remember?" Fitz mumbled through a piece of mallowmelt.

Sophie giggled.

"What?" Fitz asked.

"Mallowmelt mustache," Sophie explained, reaching out with her index finger to softly wipe the mallowmelt smudge under Fitz's nose.

"What's a mustache?" Fitz asked, totally killing the joke.

"Human thing," Sophie said exasperatedly. She was getting SO tired of having to say that. Honestly, inside jokes just weren't fun if you were the only one who understood them.

* * *

"Uh, I gotta go organize my room!" Fitz shouted.

"What?" Della called from the kitchen. Biana murmured something and they elapsed into fits of giggles.

Fitz shook his head, sighing. "Come on, Soph." He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the night.

"Won't Grizel and Sandor be upset?" Sophie asked.

"Nah! I'm pretty sure they're wayyyy too busy making out now. Wait." Fitz's face scrunched up in confusion. "_Do _goblins make out? Or do they just say 'I love you,' or something?"

"I don't care," Sophie said, jerking Fitz's face to touch hers. "_I love _you," she said as her lips met his and the stars were twinkling above. The perfect night. Warmth filled Sophie's heart and joy trickled through her spine.

"I love you, too. But we're definitely not ever going to stop kissing just for goblin customs, right?" Fitz said. When Sophie didn't answer, he said, "_Right_?"

"Right," Sophie giggled.

Fitz seemed visibly relieved at her answer, and he plucked a tall, golden flower from beside a tree. "For you." He tore off the stem and pushed it behind Sophie's ear. "I heard that's what human boys do," he added, his breath warming Sophie's cheeks.

"You're so sweet," Sophie said, cupping Fitz's cheek with one hand, and the other one coiling through Fitz's smoothly-combed dark-brown hair.

"It's one of my many natural talents," Fitz agreed. "Along with kissing," he added, pulling Sophie in for a much longer kiss. Their lips held their hearts together, and love poured through their bodies every second they were in contact.

"You are _so _cheesy. Is that a strength, or a weakness?" Sophie teased, gripping Fitz's hand.

Fitz pretended to think it over. "A strength, definitely!" He tackled Sophie with an embrace, his arms wrapped around her securely.

Sophie giggled and soon the two grew silent. Sophie leaned into Fitz's chest and closed her eyes, listening to all the beautiful nighttime noises. The faint swoosh of a bird flying here and there. The trees swaying and the leaves rustling. Fitz's steady heartbeat soothing her; she fell asleep.

* * *

Sophie blinked and realized she was drooling all over Fitz. "Oh, sorry!" She jolted upwards with a sudden gasp.

"Ah, never mind," he chuckled, twirling his finger through her long blonde hair. "It's only the second time it's happened."

Sophie blushed deep-red. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled. She glanced up at the sky. It was streaked with orange, yellow, and red. "Yikes! Did we sleep here the whole night?"

"I guess so," Fitz shrugged. "Sandor and Grizel kept watch over there. I finally found out the answer to my burning question." He shuddered.

"They do?" Sophie guessed.

"Yeah, but... Eww. I don't want to talk about it," Fitz shook his head rapidly, quivering again.

Sophie tried to stifle her giggles, but they erupted out of her. She snorted, clutching her stomach.

"What's so funny?" Della approached them with a sly smile on her façade. Just like Edaline would, she said oh-so-embarrassingly, "I'll let you guys get some more privacy." Fitz's cheeks flushed.

When Della was gone, Fitz entangled his fingers in Sophie's long, silky hair. "I better escort you to Foxfire," he said, his soft touch enchanting Sophie.

"Whyyyy?" Sophie whined.

"What, you prefer to go by yourself?" Fitz pretended to look hurt.

"Nah. But I'd rather skive today," Sophie explained.

"Wow, you've changed, Soph," Fitz said in admiration, his teal eyes sparkling with surprise. "Skipping school to do something with a boy?"

Sophie giggled. "Now you're just asking for it."

"For what?" Fitz said innocently.

"This," Sophie said, and she snuggled closer into Fitz, then dove her head onto his, her lips onto his.

* * *

Even though Sophie wasn't kidding when she said she'd prefer to skip school that day, she still had to go. However excited Edaline was about Sophie and Fitz, she put her foot down when Sophie was heading to the extreme.

"You are _not _skipping school to hang out with a boy, Sophie!" Edaline had exclaimed. "Now go get your books and get to the Leapmaster!" Della, unfortunately, had forced this conversation. Parents unite.

"Sorry, Fitz. It's a no-go," Sophie said dejectedly as they linked hands.

"It's okay. We'll see each other at Telepathy." Fitz smiled.

"We'll have to be careful around Sir Tiergan," Sophie noted. "He doesn't know about... _us_ yet."

Fitz nodded, and the two stepped into the light.

* * *

"Hi, Keefe," Sophie offered as they met at the lockers. Keefe just shrugged and didn't say anything, silently grabbing his books and leaving.

"Whoa. Talk about rude!" Biana exclaimed as she snatched a couple of heavy-bound books from her locker. "Eww. Looks like Elwin picked," she added, holding her nose. "Is that gulon droppings?"

"Probably. With Elwin, you never know," Sophie shuddered.

"Soo..." Biana started, with a meaningful look at Sophie. "Let's talk about-"

Sophie checked her watch. "Sorry, Biana. I've got The Universe next, and I honestly don't want to mess up my early streak."

Biana shrugged. "Okay. Talk at lunch?" She shut her locker and groaned as she heaved the books into her arms. "Whoa... Too... Heavy..."

"Totally," Sophie nodded, though she was dreading girl talk with Biana.

* * *

Sophie put her books away and leaned against her locker, closing her eyes and trembling. The tears fell out, one by one.

Footsteps came from behind her.

"Hi, Keefe," Sophie said wearily, not expecting an answer as she closed her locker and began to walk to the cafeteria for lunch. Ugh. Girl talk, here it comes.

"Hi, Foster," Keefe replied, every word heavy and falling out of his mouth like weights.

Sophie just nodded and kept walking briskly.

But Keefe didn't leave. "I'm sorry, Sophie. I was such a jerk to you, and to Fitz." He didn't stop there. "I love you so much, Sophie. I'm not sure if I can manage being just..._friends._" He sighed, mussing his usually gorgeously-styled hair, though today it simply hung limply over his forehead and ears. "But I'll try, because you mean the world to me."

Pumpkins dropped down into Sophie's stomach.

"I..." she stammered. Keefe put his hands on Sophie's shoulders, holding her steady.

"I get that you have feelings for Fitzy. And..." He croaked. "And I'm fine with that."

"No, you're not," Sophie acknowledged softly. Keefe looked up at Sophie with surprise in his eyes.

"I get that." Sophie was speaking in a quiet voice now. "I really want to be at least friends with you. Please, can we try to work it out?" She met Keefe's eyes with such hope that Keefe couldn't resist it. He pulled her close and saw the shock in her beautiful, benevolent brown eyes as he planted his lips upon hers and kissed Sophie Elizabeth Foster.

**A/N: Huh. I honestly don't have anything to say right now. I'm surprised by the betrayal I just wrote, but, well, all writers have evil flowing through their veins, just ready to be revealed in their writing. What can I say? **


	15. Betrayal and Love

15- Betrayal and Love

SOPHIE WAS frozen to the roots. Keefe had just kissed her. Even though she had a boyfriend.

She sighed as Keefe pulled away, his eyes cloudy with bliss. "I'm sorry, Keefe. We can't do this." She swiveled around on her heels and started to fast-walk to the cafeteria.

* * *

Fitz, Biana, and Dex were already waiting at their usual table by the time Sophie got there.

"What held you up?" Biana asked. "We only have fourteen minutes left!"

"Nothing much," Sophie said frostily. "Just go, Keefe," she said loudly. He had been approaching their table with caution, and Sophie's sharp words warded him off like arrows.

"What was that for?" Biana asked, sounding slightly jagged. She, after all, did have a crush on Keefe.

"Not much," shrugged Sophie, but her clenched fists said otherwise. Thousands of things and scenarios ran through her train of thought. She obviously could not tell Fitz, because he'd overreact. Who knows? He might tip over the edge and assume that Sophie wanted to dump him.

Biana raised an eyebrow. She just had her regular best-friend vibes.

Fitz, however, knew when something was up this time. He knew Sophie much better now that they were dating. He wasn't as ignorant as he was before when it came to her problems.

_Hey, _he transmitted, as gently as he could so he wouldn't startle her. _Are you sure it wasn't much?_

_Yes, _she sent back, though her mental voice sounded weaker.

_Sophie, I see you're trembling._

_You're right. _Sophie sucked in a deep breath. This was major. _Keefe did something... incredibly inconsiderate... to me._

_What. Did. He. Do? _Fitz looked ready to pummel Keefe into the ground.

Sophie gritted her teeth. It was time to confess. Before the problems grew too tangled. She took a deep breath before she told Fitz the truth. _He... kissed me. _

* * *

Fitz didn't even look surprised. His fists tightened and he grabbed Sophie's sleeve and yanked. "Did you want him to?"

"No!" Sophie said, evidentially horrified. "He did it, just all of a sudden!" She was in tears now. "I thought we were making up, becoming friends again. But he..." She sobbed into her palm. "Fitz, please don't push me away!"

Fitz softened as he loosened his grip on Sophie's sleeve. He pulled her into a warm embrace, whispering in her ear, "I would never do that, Sophie."

Sophie relaxed in his arms, and she pulled away, dabbing at her watery eyes.

Fitz narrowed his eyes, turning his unflinching gaze to Keefe, who was sitting by his lonesome at some table near the door. "That jerk!" Fitz unleashed a plethora of curse words that made Sophie flinch, and he shook his head angrily. "I just can't believe he'd do that!"

Sophie just nodded and sighed. "I can't either."

The two left the corner and rejoined their friends, who were cleaning up their lunch. "The lovers return," Dex jokingly said as he slurped up the rest of his lushberry juice.

Sophie rolled her eyes but smiled.

Fitz, meanwhile, started to walk over to Keefe, his fists swinging.

"Oh, no. This isn't going to end well," mumbled Sophie. Her friends let out murmurs of agreement.

* * *

Fitz was stomping towards Keefe, his eyebrows knit together in a fury. "Keefe!" he huffed, scowling.

"Oh, goody. Are you going to sit with me?" Keefe asked pointedly.

"How could you?" Fitz burst out. "I was your best friend! And then you just up and kissed Sophie!"

Keefe shrugged, his eyes showing a slight bit of regret and shame.

"Why?" Fitz demanded, trying to breathe. In and out. In and out.

"I don't know," Keefe mumbled, staring down at the ground. "Go ahead and punch me all you like. But I... I _love _Sophie. I just couldn't bear to be just friends."

"Yeah, well, just keep your hands off her. She's mine." Fitz said, narrowing his eyes. He didn't let Keefe get a reply; instead, he marched back to his friends.

* * *

Sophie shoved one last bite in her mouth. "Urgh, I just hate skill sessions!"

"There's another Splotcher Match today. Are you sure you want to back down?" Fitz asked slyly.

"Why didn't anyone say so?!" Sophie practically jumped to her feet and ran to the atrium.

* * *

She was sprinting as fast as she could.

Except, she tripped over an... Effluxer?

"Keefe," Sophie muttered and she cursed her clumsiness.

_Keefe. _

Memories of his betrayal flooded her mind. Shaking them away, she got to her feet and walked the rest of the way.

"AARRGH! There. Made it on time," Sophie relaxed on a bench.

Sir Finley nodded approvingly. "Miss Foster being on time. That must be a new school record!"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "For the record, I-" But she never did get a chance to swing her comeback, because a crowd of prodigies were storming the atrium.

Sir Finley nodded at her and began to take attendance of everyone. After a few minutes had passed, and he counted everybody, Sir Finley declared the Splotcher Match _on. _

He handpicked the fighters. "Let's see... Dexter Dizznee and Stina Heks. And for the other group..." He listed off two names Sophie had never heard of.

"Wish me luck," Dex mumbled as he lifted his arms at the ready.

"BEGIN!" Sir Finley shouted.

Stina raised her arms and she pushed with her mind, causing the orange splotcher to hiss and fling its way over to Dex.

Dex didn't even get a chance to try; the splotcher crashed onto his face. "Ugh," he muttered, glaring at Stina like she was a heap of dung. "You'll lose next time," he spat, settling himself down beside Biana on the sidelines.

"Yeah, right, Dizznee," smirked Stina.

The other group, meanwhile, were still telekinetically tossing the splotcher back and forth.

Sir Finley sat patiently as they all awaited the second team to declare a winner.

Finally, about twelve minutes later, Orienn Felter was the winner of team two.

Orienn battled against Stina, and in the end, Stina lost.

Sir Finley paired Sophie up against Biana. Then Fitz.

It felt as though he was deliberately trying to make her fight her friends. Then again, he was.

"Sophie Foster wins again!" shouted Sir Finley, grinning wildly. "Everyone has faced off against her..." His smile faded as he glanced down at a sheet of paper. "Everyone, except for Mr. Sencen."

Sophie raised her hand.

"Yes, miss Foster?" Sir Finley looked up from his paper.

"Uh, I think Keefe's skipping."

"Nonsense. That is unacceptable," Sir Finley proclaimed, narrowing his eyes and sneering. "Someone please go fetch Mr. Sencen. Whoever brings him here will receive extra credit in everything."

Everyone raced for the exit.

Sophie giggled but remained in her seat. So did Fitz. And Dex. And Biana. And Linh. And Tam. Apparently her friends also still held the grudge against Keefe.

A girl with a smirk on her face dragged in a sullen boy with limp blonde hair. "I got him, Sir Finley."

"Excellent." Sir Finley smiled maniacally. "Extra credit for you, Gizele."

The girl smiled and left the room. Keefe was dropped to the floor. His ice-blue eyes were blank. He wore no smirk.

"What happened to Keefe?" Sophie murmured wonderingly.

"You guys happened," sighed Biana.

Sophie sank into her seat, closing her eyes. But she couldn't stay there because of the treacherous words that came out of Sir Finley's mouth.

"Fight!" he yelled.

**A/N: I absolutely love writing romantic plots. If you see _anything_ that could be improved in my writing, please do not hesitate to tell me. I want to make sure my writing is the best possible. **


	16. Here We Go Again

16- Here We Go Again

EVERYONE HELD their breath as Sophie cracked her knuckles and walked to the splotcher area.

"Any color preference?" Sir Finley asked with a smirk. It was the usual tradition when the last two elves faced off.

"PINK AGAIN!" Biana called.

Last time, Keefe had wanted pink.

But this time, he was _getting_ the pink.

"All right." Sir Finley suspended the splotcher midair, and then let go. It flew towards Keefe, but then it eased.

Soon the pink splotcher was spinning in Sophie's direction.

"Get him!" cheered Fitz.

Sophie reached out with her arms and _pushed. _From the deep end of her brain, she felt a tug. This time, she knew what it was. Brain push.

She listened to her humming instinct and thrusted with all her inner might. The splotcher went soaring back to Keefe.

But Keefe was ready. He pushed back, and the splotcher was wheeling through the air. Sophie narrowed her eyes in concentration and right when it was about to explode in her face, she took control. The splotcher was dangling in the air, and Sophie twisted her ankle subtly, for extra power, like Keefe had ironically taught her.

Again, Keefe caught it.

The Exillium and Neverseen training probably prepared him for it.

Sir Finley yawned; he looked bored.

"YOU CAN DO IT, SOPHIE!" Linh and Biana yelled.

"Yeah! Keefe's no match for you!" Fitz called.

Sophie smiled. The cheers encouraged her to persevere. She caught the splotcher just in the nick of time, and used her mental power to toss it towards Keefe, this time much faster. It was hurtling towards his forehead, at such a fast speed Sophie _knew _Keefe couldn't catch it. It was going to hit him.

* * *

The pink paint dripped off Keefe's forehead and he sighed.

"Congrats, Foster," he said, holding out his hand with a small smile.

"Thanks. You did well, too," Sophie said curtly, turning around to high-five her friends.

Keefe winced at her icy tone. "I'm sorry, Foster." He lowered his head and walked out of the atrium.

His hair was still left unstyled and wild.

* * *

Sophie had beat him.

After eleven minutes of beating around the bush, she defeated him.

She felt a bolt of something electrify her as she thought about Keefe's kiss. It had been thrilling, she had to admit.

WAIT, no it wasn't!

Sophie shook all traitorous thoughts out of her head.

She didn't like that Keefe just jumped that on her.

She thought they were making up and repairing their friendship.

But it just became worse.

* * *

Fitz curled an arm around Sophie's waist as they walked through Foxfire's gardens.

It was slightly chilly out. It was, after all, the beginning of fall.

Vague memories of her time with her human family flashed into her head. Sophie's mom always seemed to have a spiced coffee in her hands at that time of year. Sophie would lean in to smell it better, and the sweet mix of autumn spices would mingle in her senses hours later.

Sophie smiled as she swore she could feel a faint whiff of the pumpkinny smell.

A chill brushed over the two, but Sophie wasn't wearing any leggings that day. She only had her Foxfire skirt-and-tunic.

She shivered as a cold breeze tickled her leg, goosebumps rising all over.

"Here." Fitz untucked his thin jacket and wrapped it around her arms. He moved closer to her and the body heat was warming them up.

"Thanks, Fitz," Sophie smiled. "But you'll be cold."

As she spoke, another memory rattled in the back of Sophie's brain.

_Keefe, standing beside her as they walked towards the Sanctuary. _

_He noticed Sophie was cold and draped his cape around her, carefully pinning the Sencen badge on the nape of the cloak._

_He suffered himself so Sophie could be comfortable._

_They ended up sharing the cloak, Keefe holding her close. _

Now a similar moment was happening with Fitz.

She smiled. "Why don't we share?"

"I like that idea," Fitz grinned as they both shivered against each other.

As they chatted, Sophie was thinking about the memory.

Keefe could be selfless sometimes.

He probably just kissed Sophie on a whim.

He probably didn't mean to hurt anyone.

Sophie snuggled up against Fitz, her head resting on his shoulder as they walked. Her hand on his shoulder.

"I should forgive Keefe," she murmured to herself decidedly.

* * *

Sophie sipped from her cinnacreme. "Mmm, this is really good," she said.

"It really is," Fitz nodded as he drank the rest from his mug.

Sophie giggled. "You...have some left." She thumbed his chin, gently wiping the smudge off.

Fitz smiled. "You do, too." He did the same to Sophie's cheek, although, to be fair, there was hardly enough to call it a smudge.

Edaline was silently giggling at the doorway as she watched her adoptive daughter and her boyfriend. Obviously Fitz just wanted an excuse to get closer to Sophie.

Sophie set her mug on the table and turned to Fitz, her brown eyes gleaming with excitement. "Fitz, you should totally hear this!"

"What?" Fitz was happy his girlfriend wasn't so downcast anymore. When she was filled with joy, everyone else was, too.

"Lovise got married a week ago," Sophie explained as she took a long glug from her cup, before putting it back down. "And there's some new replacement bodyguard for Dex while she has her honeymoon."

"Who is it?" Fitz asked curiously.

"Some goblin dude named Seirir."

"Huh," Fitz wrinkled his nose. "Never heard of him. Wait- how come you know this and I _don't?_"

Sophie shrugged. "A little birdy told me."

Fitz raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"I heard it from Sandor," Sophie said, avoiding the "It's a human thing" explanation. She drank down the rest of her cinnacreme, picking up Fitz's, too. "I'll bring these back to the kitchen," she offered. She got up and headed out of the room.

Edaline found the perfect window. She walked up to and smiled at Fitz. "Hi, Fitz!" she said brightly. "So, what do you think of Sophie?" The direct approach would be faster. Hopefully she could drag some information out of him before Sophie got back.

"Uhhh, she's great?" Fitz said hesitantly.

Edaline narrowed her eyes.

"She's amazing!" he said quickly, wanting to be on Edaline's good side. After all, she did make some of the best cinnacreme ever.

"Uh-huh," Edaline said disdainfully.

What, amazing wasn't enough for her?

As Fitz scrambled to say something- anything that would please Edaline, Sophie returned. "Were you talking about me?" She frowned.

"Uhhhhhhh, NO!" Fitz said. Then he diverted the conversation. "So I hear Flori's started a fall garden out back?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sophie nodded suspiciously. It was _so _obvious that they had been discussing her. She narrowed her eyes at Edaline, sending the message that she wasn't going to get away with that.

Edaline just nervously shrugged in response.

At least it wasn't Grady, Sophie reluctantly thought. If it was her adoptive father who had confronted him, Fitz would probably be hiding in the field by now, or perhaps even leaped back to Everglen.

"Come on, Sophie," Fitz smiled sweetly at his girlfriend, "I want to show you something."

**A/N: Thank you to EVERYONE, once again, whether you reviewed or read this. Thank you all for supporting my story as I take it further. **


	17. A Mess All Over

17- A Mess All Over

SOPHIE GIGGLED as Fitz pulled her outside. "Fitz, tell me. Where are we going? I can't see, so please don't blame me if we bump into a cannon or something."

"Nope, not telling you," Fitz said as he tightened her blindfold.

Sophie sighed and tried to walk, but it was really hard.

"Hold on- there's a rock ahead," Fitz warned her, sharply pulling her aside.

She groaned. "Fitz, I'm hopeless." Sophie felt something under her foot, and she tripped, falling into Fitz's arms.

"No, you're not," Sophie could hear the vigorous swish of his head as Fitz shook it. "Sophie, clumsiness is just a natural attribute to your personality."

"Oh, great," Sophie said sarcastically.

Fitz laughed, his rich voice filling the quiet air. "You've mastered the art of verbal irony. They should give you a medal, huh?" He rubbed Sophie's bare arms. "And why, oh why did you wear short sleeves today if you knew it was going to be so cold?" He guided Sophie to the left, and she was yearning to know what the surprise was.

"-All right." Fitz undid the blindfold, and light seared into Sophie's eyes. She blinked, and quickly realized where they were.

Under the Panakes tree.

* * *

"What's the surprise?" Sophie asked teasingly, shivering as a breeze wafted past them.

"This." Fitz handed Sophie a lidded bowl. "Also..." His face looked so happy, so sweet.

She took it off and inhaled deeply. Her heart was going as fast as a racecar. "Calla's starkflower stew," she whispered, a tear streaking down her blushed cheeks. "Fitz..."

Fitz poured a little of his stew into the Panakes tree's roots. "Sophie, Tam escaped from the Neverseen. Linh came, too."

Sophie's jaw fell. "W-what?"

Fitz nodded. "See, Sophie? We have some wins now, too."

Sophie threw her arms around Fitz. "Finally." Tears streamed down her face, but this time they were joyous tears. She spooned a little of the soup in her mouth; it tasted almost exactly the same as Calla's.

"Fitz..." Sophie tried again. She was so touched.

"Don't say anything. But," Fitz added teasingly, "maybe you can _show _your gratitude?"

"Say no more," Sophie held up her hand, and then coiled it around Fitz's neck, hugging him.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but-" Fitz started.

Sophie grinned sheepishly as she brought her lips to his, the soft autumn wind beating against their backs, the tree's branches swaying protectively overhead, the sun shining from up above, Keefe standing beside them.

Wait.

Keefe was watching them? Sophie narrowed her eyes as she pulled away. Fitz recovered just as quickly. "What are _you _doing here?" he said.

Sophie gently unclenched Fitz's hand, lacing hers over his. "Fitz, it's okay. Let's hear him out. I'm sure he wasn't spying on us." She added a strong note to the last few words, as if daring Keefe.

"No, I wasn't spying on you guys, I swear," Keefe said quickly. "I just wanted to..." his voice trailed off.

"Wanted to what?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to say: I'm sorry, guys. I'm so sorry I pretty much betrayed you." Keefe ran a hand through his slightly trying hair.

Sophie's eyes widened.

Fitz was trying to time his breaths.

"Yeah, you kinda did, Keefe. But... I forgive you. I just want us to be able to still remain friends. Is that possible?" Sophie said, her words caught in her throat as her heart pounded.

"I want it to be," was all Keefe said in reply. "Well, love the Fitzphie kissfest, but I have places to go and things to do. Sooo, yeah." Keefe held out a pale-blue crystal and stepped into the light. Sophie jumped on him as the light transported them elsewhere.

* * *

Sophie dug her nails into Keefe's arm.

"OUCH! Foster...?" Keefe narrowed his eyes.

"Where...are we?" Sophie gaped.

Skyscrapers.

Honking taxis.

Busy intersections.

They were in New York City.

**A/N: What is Keefe up to?**


	18. Love is a Spider's Web

18- Love is a Spider's Web

SOPHIE BLINKED RAPIDLY as Keefe stared down at his feet.

"I...I... I just... Yeah, you know what? I'm out. Just do whatever you want." Sophie closed her eyes and let the guilt seep in.

"'Bye, Keefe," she chattered.

The pain frosted over anew, the ice hardening onto Sophie's bones.

The coldness swept over her like a blizzard.

And she welcomed it with open arms.

* * *

Keefe shook Sophie's shoulders. "SOPHIE, NO!" he shouted into her ears.

Pedestrians ogled the scene.

Keefe knew he had to get Sophie to safety. Now.

But he had to try one more time.

"Sophie. Please," Keefe begged, tears drenching Sophie's beautiful face.

"Please!" Keefe said, taking her head and cradling it in his arms. "I love you," his voice crackled.

Soft murmurs skittered across the crowd, but Keefe didn't care. He only wanted Sophie to come back.

So he lifted Sophie's head ever so slightly, and he put his lips against hers.

* * *

"Your boyfriend-numero-two is kissing you," Subconsh informed Sophie with a thin smile on her slightly-blurred lips.

"Urgh. I only have one boyfriend," Sophie told her, before she fell to the sandy beach, clutching her temples.

"You okay?" Subconsh asked, her features twisting into pity and concern.

"Y-yeah," Sophie said, still holding on to her temples. "Just felt some kind of pain burst through me."

"Yep." Subconsh didn't seemed surprised. "I go through it _every freaking day._ You're shattering, Sophie. And it's undeniable now."

* * *

Keefe bended his head on Sophie's chest, breathing in her sweet fragrance.

He focused on her distilled emotions. _Fear, shock, pain, and...something strong... like guilt and determination mixed together._

The last one was hard for Keefe to put his finger on.

But after he pondered it for a few seconds, he realized what it was, the awareness of it smacking him like a Sucker Punch.

It was resignation.

What could Sophie be resigning herself to? Then Keefe remembered.

She shattered once.

This might be her final break.

* * *

Subconsh twirled her fingers around the sandy grains. "I'm sorry, Sophie," she said quietly.

"I-I-It's okay. I knew it was going to happen someday. Just... not so soon." Sophie glared at the sand, kicking it.

Subconsh nodded.

Then every feature of her face blurred together. She vanished. As if she was nothing but a wisp of a memory.

Like she never existed.

Fear dredged up in her throat. "Subconsh!" Sophie's mental voice shouted, but she was gone.

And the sandy beach around Sophie began to fade as well.

Soon Sophie was floating in a void.

And she was staring at holographic memories pass her, slowly inch by, fissures beginning to form in each one.

Fitz, kissing her so tenderly and sweetly at their date. Sophie couldn't feel anything, though she knew she should.

Edaline, tucking her in bed and whispering that she'd always be there for Sophie.

Grady, yelling at her about "That Boy."

Dex, apologizing for making her the circlet.

Keefe... betraying her by the treacherous and yet memorable kiss.

Sophie was cracking. She didn't have much time left before she shattered.

* * *

"SOPHIE!" Fitz fell to his knees. His teal eyes were filled with pain and love and worry.

He looked at what everyone else was doing.

Biana's bottom lip was trembling.

Linh was shaking violently.

Tam was hovering in the corner, pretending he didn't care, but when no one was looking, a few tears edged their way down his chin.

Dex was shivering and sobbing.

And now Fitz was screaming at the walls, uttering the most dirty of curse words.

Keefe was on the ground, making no effort to move.

Edaline was tentatively whispering to Sophie to wake up.

Grady was punching the windows, breaking what would have been worth thousands of dollars in the Forbidden Cities.

And Keefe finally snapped out of it and raced over to the splayed body, kneeling beside Sophie, his hands on her cheeks. Sir Tiergan and Alden were beside him, the two trying and failing to access Sophie's mind space.

"Sophie, you're strong. You can do this," mumbled Alden, closing his eyes and focusing harder.

"Tiergan! Hand me those fathomlethes." Keefe's voice was commanding, yet there was a note of hesitation and fear mingling in his words.

"You don't mean...?" Sir Tiergan said, his voice trailing off. He was so dazed, he only half-realized what Keefe was planning.

"Oh, yes, I do!" Keefe's face was one of determination.

Sir Tiergan gave him the fathomlethes- which were river-pearls that forced extreme inspiration.

Keefe shoved seven down his throat, and then he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

"You're not supposed to take more than one dosage at a time, and even that's extreme!" Elwin yelled from the other side of the room, rushing over to examine Keefe. He finally sighed. "Okay. He's fine, but he'll be out for at least two hours, perhaps the maximum being fifteen. Eighteen if severe."

"_Eighteen_?" shouted Fitz. "We don't have that kind of time! SOPHIE IS SHATTERING!"

The reality of those words jolted everyone into silence.

Alden's lips tightened. "Fitz, just breathe and-"

"_Just breathe? _Dad, my girlfriend's sanity is breaking! How can I _just breathe_?" Fitz screamed, flinging a vase at the ground.

He bit his lip and inhaled, then exhaled. "Sorry. But you know better than anyone how it's like to shatter. You wouldn't wish it on Sophie!"

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," Alden corrected, "but to fix this problem, staying calm will solve more, rather than panicking."

Fitz nodded and sighed.

"Son, perhaps it is best if you let the adults handle this one," Alden suggested quietly. "You and your friends can go wait upstairs."

"Yes, you can discuss your ideas on the matter in Grady's office. We will stay here with Sophie," Edaline said.

Fitz let out a frustrated groan. "Yes, the adults'll fix this! I have no doubt that they will, just like they fixed everything with Mr Forkle and Prentice!"

There was a still silence.

Wylie flinched.

"Maybe it's for the best," Linh spoke up, steering Tam and Biana up the stairs, glancing back at Fitz.

Biana's eyes pleaded for Fitz to join them. So he sighed and stomped up the stairs. Dex grudgingly came, too.

The two groups worked separately in the hopes of saving Sophie.

* * *

"What do you think happened wherever Keefe leaped to?" Biana asked.

"Yeah, once Keefe wakes up I am interrogating him on that," Fitz nodded, his eyes narrowed.

Biana traced a finger down her arm's scars absentmindedly as she thought. Tam noticed and softly reached out for Biana's hand.

Fitz was furious. How could love still be happening after Sophie broke?

It was wrong.

It shouldn't be allowed!

It _couldn't_ be allowed!

But it was.

Tam sat on top of Grady's desk and Biana joined him, their legs brushing against each other. Their eyes were eagerly shining. Fitz saw his sister entangle her fingers with Tam's, and they both appeared happy and solemn at the same time.

It would have been funny had the situation not been so serious.

It happened with Linh and Dex, too.

Linh at first only dared to sit beside Dex on the floor. But Dex scooted closer and rested his hand on Linh's shoulder, murmuring something in her ear. She relaxed after that, which Fitz took to mean that Dex was trying to calm her down.

It seemed that love was thriving now, in the cracked rock they were in.

But Fitz was all alone.

He choked back his throttling howl, swallowing it back down. He had to stay calm.

Even though on the inside, he felt hollow. And empty. And abandoned.

He _needed _Sophie.

He didn't realize how meaningless life was without her. How barren. How bland. How dull.

"Sophie..." he let himself rasp to no one in particular. Just to himself.

Fitz saw Biana glance at him with empathy... and she looked like she herself was also in pain. Deep pain that she pushed down deep into the depths of her heart.

Tam squeezed her hand tightly and stroked her cheek, his silvery-blue eyes filled with tears as he whispered something to her.

Biana gave a dry laugh and tears came streaming down her face.

Fitz realized they must be talking about Sophie. Probably sharing memories.

But it wasn't too late.

They could save her.

They just needed to figure out how.

* * *

"We need a plan," Sir Tiergan announced to all the adults in the room. He ran a hand through his chalky hair. "Spitball your ideas."

"SAVE MR FORKLE!" shouted Dex as he traipsed down the stairs.

Sir Tiergan face-palmed himself. "Why don't you go back upstairs and brainstorm there? Us adults have a less impulsive, and different, take on brainstorming. It is best if we do not mix our ideas right now. We are in a crucial stage."

"Yeah, coming up with raw ideas," Keefe smirked as he rose up from the floor, his cheeks rosy and his eyes filled with glee.

Dex high-fived him.

"B-but how?" sputtered Elwin. "You were immobilized!"

"Nope!" Keefe said cheerfully. "I pranked ya!"

"At a time like this?" Fitz's face was grave and dark as he came down the stairs. Not at all the sweet, gentle Fitz he used to be before Sophie shattered.

Now he changed.

"Yeah, well, I figured this will be a way to finally convince the adults to let us join their pep-planning."

"An overly elaborate way, but, yeah, I guess," Biana appeared behind Fitz, her hand grasping something invisible. Probably Tam.

"See? Biana gets it!" Keefe grinned at everyone.

"Let's let go of this one," Alden sighed, "Sophie is in peril; we don't have time for discussing minorities such as these."

Keefe did not argue, although once-upon-a-time, he would have shot back that pranks were_ very_ important business.

Now they were not.

Not when Sophie was hurt.

* * *

Sophie tried to keep it together. But it was hard.

Very hard.

Her mind was breaking, and she _felt _the sticky web of her mind begin to crumble.

Minds were frail things.

And now Sophie knew that better than anyone.

* * *

"We need to rescue Forkle," Keefe repeated.

Alden ran a hand through his now disheveled hair. Actually, pretty much everyone had disheveled hair now.

Nobody bothered to even pick up a hairbrush.

Not with Sophie's condition worrying them all.

"Come on, Alden. You gotta admit it's really important now- more important than ever, so to speak," Della said, flashing to view.

"I know, but..."

Della caressed Alden's cheek. "_You know how important she is to Fitz, Alden! And to everyone in the room! We must try whatever it takes_!" she said in a low whisper-hiss.

Tam stepped out of the shadows, still clutching Biana by the hand. "I have a plan," he announced quietly.

**A/N: ...Loooooooooooong.**


	19. Scattered Thoughts

19- Scattered Thoughts

EVERYONE'S EYES were on Tam. Silence ensued.

Tam cleared his throat, apparently nervous at the attention he was receiving. Biana gave his hand a quick squeeze, which seemed to help motivate him.

"Sophie and Fitz had-"

"_Have_." Fitz narrowed his eyes. Why was everyone acting as though Sophie was dead? She wasn't!

Tam let out a small, tense laugh. "Of course. They _have _a strong Cognate connection to each other. Sophie was thought to be the only elf that could heal minds, but what if Fitz could? He, after all, is the only other person in the world who knows how to get into Sophie's mind, right?" He paused, allowing that thought to simmer into everyone's minds. "I don't know much about telepathy-"

"Correction: you know nothing about telepathy," Fitz said grimly, a crease forming in his forehead.

"Fitz!" Alden reprimanded. "I know you're feeling a lot right now, but let's see what Tam has to say."

Fitz rolled his eyes, but stayed quiet after that.

"Okay, so I am pretty much clueless about telepathy. I'm a Shade, not a Telepath. But... what do you think, Tiergan? Could it work?" Tam turned his cool gaze to Sir Tiergan, who was sitting hunched back on a sofa.

"In theory, it's possible," he finally said.

Linh smiled, her eyes glimmering with the slightest hope. "So Sophie can be fixed?" she asked softly, gathering up an orb of water from the air and molding it into an abstract shape.

Sir Tiergan leaned back into the couch. "I said in theory. Sophie's the one with the genetically modified DNA. Fitz is a normal Telepath, whereas Sophie is more gifted in that area. Healing, from what Mr Forkle told me-" He halted in his words to dip his head down respectfully before resuming, "is that it requires skill in emotions as well as the telepathical section. So we would need an Inflictor _and _a Telepath."

Fitz hesitated, biting his lip and causing blood to run down in several individual streams. "But the only other known Inflictor is Councillor Bronte... I'd have to work with _him?_" He was dubious that Bronte would make the job easier. In fact, he'd likely do the very opposite. "And how would two elves with two different abilities...?"

Sir Tiergan nodded. "Yes, two individuals could not pull it off. We'd need to merge your abilities together."

Everyone in the room was slack-jawed.

Biana let out a strangled gasp. Tam, who had been staring down at the floor, wrapped his arm around Biana securely. His shadow hung as a wisp over Biana, so everyone who noticed assumed Tam was shadow-whispering to her.

"Well, I'm not surprised anymore," Keefe said, running a hand through his still-unstyled bed hair.

"How would that work?" Dex piped up. He was both curious and hesitant. He scooted closer to Linh, and his cheeks reddened when he noticed everyone was watching him.

"Well, we would likely need a device. Mr Dizznee, we will need your assistance in that matter," Tiergan took charge.

"Is that even possible? Merging two abilities together...?" Della asked, her pale façade transfixed on Tiergan.

"No idea is impossible now," he replied brusquely.

Alden ran a hand through his dark hair, his teal eyes dimming. "Are you certain about that, Tiergan? Simply because a tragedy has befallen us now does not mean we have lost all the barriers, all the limits, we used to have before."

Sir Tiergan shrugged. "Any idea should be taken in consideration. That is all I mean."

Fitz sniffed, and a tear seeped down his cheeks as he glanced over at Sophie. Keefe noticed where his best friend was looking and he rubbed his eyes, his chest heaving with his own sodden feels. "We'll save Sophie, Fitz," Keefe promised shakily, squeezing Fitz's arm.

Fitz closed his eyes and kneeled down next to Sophie. "Sophie?" he whispered, brushing his hand on her forehead, sweeping a few loose strands of her golden hair to the side of her cheeks. "Sophie? Please, Sophie, if you hear me, try to emerge. I love you and..." His voice broke. "I don't know what I'll do without you."

Keefe glanced away and walked towards an isolated room in Everglen.

* * *

His back against the wall, Keefe cried.

He let himself sob his heart out.

He finally let himself _feel. _

Keefe hated having to push aside his feelings so he could keep his friends laughing, but he did it anyway. And now, well, he couldn't keep up the funny-boy surface any more.

He pressed his hands to his cheeks, and glanced up at the ceiling.

He would be strong.

He would survive this.

For Sophie.

* * *

Shattered memories were scattered everywhere. Sophie's mind was a black hole, destroying, breaking, exploding any tangible memories.

Subconsh was gone and faded.

Sophie wasn't home.

And her memories were slowly decomposing. Soon, there wouldn't be any fragment of Sophie left.

Only the void.

* * *

"Okay, I think it might be possible," Dex announced after drawing out a dozen blueprints, and crumpling up a majority. He held up a single piece of paper, etched on it was a convoluted map of technopathical designs. He started to chatter to himself quickly in his technological language that nobody else knew. To everyone in the room save for Dex himself, it sounded like gibberish.

"What?" Keefe returned to the room, his eyes red-rimmed but filled with courage and determination. He scrambled to find a snarky comment to add. "What's possible? WAIT! I KNOW!... Pranking... wait for it, Councillor Alina!"

"Not yet, Keefe," Dex replied, stopping himself short in his gibberish monologue, "but for now, I'm drafting blueprints for the ability merger."

"It's possible?" Keefe said, no jokes left on his tongue.

"It's possible that it's possible," Dex agreed with a thin smile, his dimples peaking only the slightest bit.

"So where are we?" Tiergan snapped everyone to focus. Dex explained his plans in rapid-fire.

"We may need Tinker, too," Sir Tiergan said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, maybe she'll make things clearer," Keefe nodded.

Dex glared daggers at Keefe, but there was only silence. It would have been hilarious if there were crickets chirping.

* * *

"So you want me to help you create an ability merger?" Tinker asked excitedly, her bronze mask clanking as she entered the room.

"Brace yourself- she only talks in questions," Dex warned the rest of his friends.

"Aren't questions the basis of the world?" Tinker commented wonderingly. "The basis of our knowledge?"

Dex shrugged. "Yeah, but answers let us find out whether our theories were correct." His eyes sharpened on Tinker; he took it personally if Tinker did anything better than him, even though she had at least decades more experience than him.

"But isn't it better to not know the answer? To only guess what you want to know?" Tinker countered.

"Enough chitchat!" Keefe snapped, "Foster's in trouble. Can you guys put aside your differences for her?" His ice-blue eyes were filled with pain as he said, "We might need to plant a second Wanderling if we don't even try..." His words hit everyone like the sharp edge of a dagger. "We don't want to have another Planting."

"You're right." Dex looked ashamed. "We need to save Sophie." He turned to Tinker, casting his pride aside. "Do you know if it's possible?" He held up the blueprints for Tinker to study.

Tinker adjusted her techie monocle and squinted at Dex's blueprints. After murmuring nonsensically to herself, she nodded slowly. "You have talent, young one. This just might work."

* * *

Tinker was serious. Everyone realized that when she spoke two sentences that were not questions.

Fitz's eyes flooded with hope as he glanced up at Tinker, who was sitting down on a couch and scribbling her own notes on Dex's plans; Dex didn't look too happy about that, but he kept quiet. "So we can save Sophie?" he asked softly, squeezing Sophie's cool hand. A tear was glazed in one of his eyes, and he wiped it away.

Wraith, who was floating in a corner, nodded- well, it seemed like nodding, because his clothes were bobbing up and down. "Tinker said so, didn't she?"

"Dex, can you hand me that twirkynn screw?" Tinker asked as she pulled out some metal sheets. Dex eagerly gave Tinker the misshapen screw.

Tinker twirled the screw in one of the sheets, and she slowly pounded it into a shape. She muttered some notes to herself and soon the metal sheet took form of a glove. "All right, can anyone get the Inflictor?" she asked as she pushed some more cogs and chains and other... stuff into the device.

"I will," Dex offered.

"No, boy, would you stay here?" Tinker said to him. "Don't you think four hands are better than two?"

Dex looked surprised, but nodded. "Sure!" Then he glanced around. "Someone needs to get Bronte."

"I can," Alden said, forcing a smile. He whipped out a light crystal and leapt away.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of, we need someone to hold this in place," Dex declared, and Keefe traipsed over to hold together an electronical gadget part in place as Tinker and Dex attached some other swirly tool thingy on the invention.

"Can this even become an ability merger? How?" mused Tiergan as he studied the raw invention.

"Well you see, the kerchanneth connects to the orekanic chain, and together they can rivet the-" Dex started, but the rest of his words blurred together as he started rapid-speaking in techie language.

"And... I'm out," Keefe said, pretending to snore. Then he blinked his eyes open again. "But seriously, dude, that is one awesome ability."

"He's not wrong," Tiergan agreed.

Dex flushed and smiled. "Thanks... Oh- there we go." He adjusted some kind of strap on top of the electronic screen thing and bolted some screw in to hold the bottom in place. "Okay, so that should do it for the electric part, but we need some luciff powder to coat it, so that it won't shock Fitz and Bronte when their abilities form the link."

"Wait- one thing I need to know," Biana started, "Will Fitz and Bronte have their abilities permanently merged? Also, how would that work? I...uh, didn't understand." She turned red as she looked down.

Tam gently tilted her head up. "I didn't understand, either." His silvery-blue eyes said, _You're not alone._

Dex tapped his chin in thought. "Well, the best non-scientific way to explain it is that the device will connect Bronte and Fitz's abilities in... Like..." Dex searched for the right word. "So, I think... Yeah, I'm at a loss here. Tinker?" Tinker was busy; Dex sighed. He pursed his lips and tried again, "Basically, uh, well, okay. Basically, the gadget will transfer the abilities in between Fitz and Bronte. So they'll be connected. Fitz'll get into Sophie's mind and Bronte will come, too, because he'll be connected with Fitz's telepathy, and then Bronte can Inflict and well, yeah. It's pretty much like Tam said... And it's totally temporary, too. Once Bronte and Fitz disconnect their wristlets, the link between their abilities will disappear." Dex shrugged. He looked fidgety; he wasn't used to explaining stuff to large crowds.

Tiergan nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for the clarification, Dex. So they'll just be connected. It's not like Fitz will automatically_ become _an Inflictor or anything; he'll just be connected to Bronte."

Dex nodded in relief. His eyes watered with perspiration as he collapsed onto the nearest chaise lounge.

Tinker bent some tools and smiled as she pulled her bronze mask up a little for air to enter her system. "Is it done yet?" Fitz snapped.

"Dex, do you think it is?" Tinker turned to her apprentice.

"Yes," Dex nodded vigorously, "it should be." His dimples flashed when he saw Tinker's handiwork. "Wow... This is..."

"We're a good team when we work together, aren't we?" Tinker asked.

"Y-yes. I guess we are," Dex's head bobbed up and down in a nod. He looked down nervously. "I'm sorry I thought you were competition."

Tinker waved it away and said nothing as she adjusted the gadget.

Sparkles emanated from the middle of the room, and everyone's gazes turned to the figures who stepped out of the glittery light.

* * *

"So I hear you need my ability?" Bronte said, his pointed ears wiggling as he walked over to Sophie. "Miss Foster," he murmured, sighing.

"She needs our help," Dex told him. "And only if we merge you and Fitz's abilities together can we do that."

Bronte nodded. Surprisingly, he didn't complain. "When do we get started?"

"Right now, hopefully," Dex responded, glancing back at Tinker, who was tapping the side of the device. "What are you doing?" he walked over to her.

"Isn't testing the device's capability to withstand damage vital to the procedure?" Tinker queried.

"Normally, yes. Now, no!" Dex said, grabbing the ability merger and clapping the wristlets on Fitz and Bronte, the chain connecting them. "All right, you both need to stay very still for this."

"What happens if they don't?" Keefe jumped in, his ice-blue eyes rolling over the invention warily.

"Bad things," Dex replied grimly, securing the bands and sighing. "Okay. Everything's in order. Let's save Sophie."

**A/N: Wow, I think I'm getting good at this cliffhanger thing. THANK YOU FOR BEARING WITH ME THROUGH THIS LONG STORY! I am currently celebrating its One-Month Anniversary, WOO! It will _eventually _be finished! I'm actually not sure when, though... maybe I'll write Chapter 20 and finish it up, or maybe I'll continue up to 22 or 25. Also, random note- I'M A BETA READER NOW!**


	20. Saving Sophie

20- Saving Sophie

"ALL RIGHT. You guys ready?" Dex verified, holding the wristlets in place and his eyes flashing with hesitation. "It's untested, so I don't know..."

Those words made everyone in the room shudder. But Fitz nodded, his teal eyes narrowed and murky. "Let's do this."

Biana wrenched herself out of Tam's vise grip and ran over to her brother, flinging her arms around him tightly, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Be careful, you idiot," she ordered, hugging him even tighter.

Fitz wiggled out of Biana's grip, nodding. "I will be."

"Okay, so are we doing this?" Dex asked again, biting his lip.

"Yes," Fitz said firmly, resting an arm on his sister for a second, their eyes locking. Then he patted Biana's arm and hung his by his side, nodding again.

Bronte's face was crinkled with courage as he also nodded.

"Okay. 3, 2... 1." Dex switched the ability merger on. Nothing happened for a minute, and then there was a quick flash. Bronte and Fitz's eyes were now closed. "Guys? You there?" No answer.

"Did it work?" Biana asked excitedly.

"Are they in?" Tam inquired, his bangs falling in his eyes as he looked over Fitz and Bronte.

"I don't know, hold on." Dex checked the wristlets and felt Bronte and Fitz's foreheads.

"What're you doing that for?" Keefe asked.

"I'm seeing if the warmth that the merger is supposed to emit is there... yeah, yep, they're warm all right." Dex nodded, checking the wristlets again and exhaling in relief. "Okay, I think they're in."

"How do we know what's happening?" Linh asked, out of worry forming a ball of water and shaping it into a swan.

"We don't," Dex replied shortly, sighing.

* * *

_Is this what a mind feels like?_ Bronte's telepathic voice rang through Sophie's void.

_Not normally- kinda, _Fitz replied. _Just stay close. _

_I am, remember? The merger is connecting us, Mr Vacker. _

Fitz ignored the captain obvious sentence and instead felt around Sophie's mind. _Okay, what would Sophie do at this point? _he wondered.

_I believe she looks for the "nook", as it's called, _Bronte suggested.

_Yeah, I think so. _Fitz felt around for any warmth. There was only coldness. Until... _I found something! _

_The nook? _Bronte guessed.

_Yes, I think so._

_Those are a lot of "I think so"s, _observed Bronte.

_Yeah, well, I never healed a mind before, so don't go insulting me, _Fitz retorted, following the slightly warm trail in Sophie's mind. He hoped she'd been collected enough to save a few precious shards of her memory in the nook.

Finally, they reached a small corner of Sophie's mind. _Amazing, _breathed Bronte.

_What? _Fitz asked, focusing more on finding some happy memories hidden in the nook rather than the ping-pong match he was having with Bronte.

_Her emotions are stronger here._

_Oh! _Fitz smiled as he saw the memory. Just he and Sophie. Snuggling together, enjoying some cinnacreme. _This was just yesterday! _he exclaimed.

Bronte averted the very explicit picture flashing in the nook. _Teenagers and their snuggling, _he thought, irked.

_I can hear you, remember? _Fitz said, annoyed. _Ah, here we go. Bronte, do your thing. _

_And what is that, precisely? _

_Ha-ha! Weren't you just griping at me for not knowing anything?_

_Now is not the time to argue!_

_Okay, you're right this time. Anyway, all you need to do is inflict a bunch of positive feelings into the nook and make her mind warmer. That's what I understood, anyways. _

Bronte hesitated. _I realize now may be the time of inconvenience to state this, but I... do not bode well with positive emotion inflicting. In fact, I cannot do that at all; it is outside of my domain of ability._

_No, it's not. You can do it, Bronte, _Fitz said, though suppressing his dislike of this particular Councillor for Sophie and Sophie only.

_If you believe so. _Bronte concentrated on peace, his desire of peace to be spread throughout the Lost Cities, it fueled him... and it bounced harmlessly off Sophie's mind. _Ah, see here, _Bronte sighed, _I cannot do this._

_Don't you want to save Sophie? _came Fitz's sharp mental voice.

_Yes, but-_

_Then wipe your pretty tears away and Inflict!_

The negative words empowered Bronte as he searched for a stronger feeling. _Pride._ He was proud of Sophie. Yes, she could be annoying at times as all teens were at her age, but she _committed_. And he wanted her to get better. So he pushed out the lukewarm feeling of pride and this time, it soaked into the nook. Warming Sophie's mind ever the slightest.

He was the only one who could do this.

That thought pushed Bronte further, and he pulled out a stronger emotion. _Hope. _The Moonlark spread hope. She was the only person who could defeat the Neverseen and bring _happiness_ to the world. So he sent a faint pulse of the hope Sophie gave him. The positive feelings exploded throughout Bronte, and into the nook.

Something was jostled outside of the mind, and everything went dark.

* * *

"I think you did it," Dex declared, his face one of pure joy.

Fitz mumbled something about Sophie, and his eyes blinked open. "Is Sophie back?" he instantaneously jumped right to the point.

"I don't know yet." Dex glanced over to Tiergan, who was feeling Sophie's temples. "Tiergan?"

"She's warmer," Tiergan replied, closing his own eyes and rubbing alongside Sophie's forehead. "Yes, she's warmer all right."

"But is she _back_?" Fitz asked, his teal eyes pooling with tears as he scanned Sophie's limp body again.

A grunt distracted everyone. Bronte was on the floor, clutching his sides as he moaned and screamed in agony.

And right then, Sophie's eyes fluttered open and she wobbled to sit upright, her brown eyes casting on Bronte. "I can help," she whispered.

**A/N: Okay, so that's one way to end a chapter. The fanfiction's definitely not going to end here, don't worry. I'm not _that _evil. *cackles maniacally.* **

**But since this is starting to approach the pathway to ending this story, I'm going to give a shoutout to some of the loyal readers and reviewers that were my only buoy in the deep waters of writing...**

**Thanks to Soohie Foster, for the constant words of warmth and the encouragement that helped me continue this story up to here!**

**Thank you, boookkksss, for the suggestions and praise you gave me- this is an angsty fanfic, so I guess Sophie does cry a lot in the earlier chapters, :(.  
**

**Also thanks to anyone else reading this, too!**

**I will write a full and proper acknowledgements in the last author's note.**


	21. Changed

**A/N: Hey! Happy Halloween for those of you who celebrate it! It's on Thursday, just in 2 days! Here's a chapter for celebration! (Warning: this chapter does contain some mild aspects of self-harm. Never think self-harm and/or suicide is a game, because it isn't. It's very, very, very serious. If you ever have thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call the nearest hotline _immediately_.)**

21- Changed

"WHAT?" Now everyone's gazes darted from Sophie to Bronte and back to Sophie again.

Sophie bit her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut and flinched. "Sophie! Are you okay?" Fitz yelled, flinging himself through the room to his girlfriend.

"Yeah... I guess shattering...takes...a lot out of you," she stuttered, shivering. She chittered, "I-I'm c-c-c-old."

"It's ninety degrees Fahrenheit!" Fitz yelped, his eyes stretched wide.

Sophie's face went deathly white.

"Remember your lessons, Sophie," Keefe strutted casually over to the floor where Sophie was sprawled. His top facade looked like nothing was wrong, but underneath those who were close to him knew he was extremely worried.

"Wh-what lessons?" Sophie trembled, and Fitz hurried to wrap a blanket snugly around her.

"Our lessons? Remember? When you... when you were at the Healing Center. I taught you some snazzy skills! Like body regulation!" Keefe said. "And you kissed me!" he added with a small, hopeful smirk on his lips.

"I did?" Sophie asked, puzzled. Fitz turned to glare at Keefe.

"No, you didn't," Keefe whispered. "Sophie, you're losing your memories."

* * *

"I am?" gasped Sophie, and then her eyes slammed shut. And she fainted.

Fitz quickly caught her, cradling her head in his arms. "Sophie? Please... don't do this again," he murmured, tracing a finger on her forehead.

Elwin rushed over and studied Sophie, snapping his fingers to create several orbs of various colors around different parts of Sophie's body. "Don't panic. She only fainted from shock," he finally said, snapping his fingers once more and the balls of light vanished, Sophie's head falling back into Fitz's lap. "Alulozene should cut it," he muttered to himself, grabbing a bottle filled to the brim with a sparkling, misty-purple liquid. "Okay, can you hold her mouth open, Fitz?" Elwin asked, opening the bottle's cap and removing it.

"Sure," nodded Fitz, and he pried Sophie's lips apart.

Elwin drizzled the liquid into Sophie's mouth, and it was like a mini waterfall went pouring down into Sophie's body. "There we go. Okay. Okay," Elwin mumbled, twisting the cap back onto the medicine bottle, and he stuffed it back into his bag. "Okay. The alulozene should work instantl-" He was interrupted by a long yawn.

Everyone's eyes were back on Sophie, who now rose out of Fitz's arms and wobbily stood up to her feet. She rubbed at her eyes and cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this thing!"

* * *

"Do... what, exactly?" Dex asked, his periwinkle eyes blinking in confusion as everyone pondered Sophie's words quietly.

"Save... Bronte?" Sophie said slowly, rollicking each syllable as if everyone was crazy. She dusted off her pantlegs and rolled up her sleeves, smiling. "Bring on the challenge." She frowned, glancing around the room. "Does anyone know where my iPod is? 'Cause I know a wicked celebratory song!"

"Are you up for that, though?" Tiergan jumped in, his eyes gliding over Sophie, who was thin to the bones and who was shaking as she stayed upright. "You just woke up, I mean," he added quickly as he saw Sophie's frustrated expression.

"I'm sure shattering did a number on you," Keefe chimed in, his pale eyes scanning Sophie's face.

"Yeah, don't you need a little time to recuperate?" Fitz added, standing up beside Sophie and his hand grazed Sophie's cheek gently as he locked gazes with her.

"I'll be fine," she said curtly, pulling away. "I can fend for myself,_ after all_." Her tone was snippy and direct. Fitz averted his eyes, looking hurt.

Keefe's ice-blue eyes widened. "Whoa, breaking kinda changed you, didn't it, Foster?"

Sophie nodded silently. "It made me realize just how chancey everything is. And how you need to stay strong. No matter what. Crying doesn't help anything. Taking a strong approach is the best approach."

"You've got a point there," agreed Keefe, "but above everything, you shouldn't stop _feeling_. You saw how well that worked out for Vespera." He bit his lip meaningfully.

Everyone else in the room shuddered as thoughts of Nightfall, blood, and Vespera filled their minds.

"Vespera?" Sophie's brows were knitted together tightly in concentration as she tried to recall who or what Vespera was.

"Foster...?" Keefe looked like he was on the verge of tears. "This is a game, right?" He dry-laughed. "You're just playing. Right? R-right?" he croaked, his eyes welling up and his lips contorted into a frown.

"N-no... I really don't know what you're talking about," Sophie said shakily. Then she scowled and regained her stiff posture. "But being weak won't fix anything!" she spat, narrowing her eyes and squeezing the skin on her arm, closing her eyes and breathing in and out. She whipped out a dagger and cut a thin scar on her palm, visibly wincing as the blood leaked out.

Elwin gasped and grabbed some gauze and bandages. "Sophie!" he yelled, running over to bandage the wound.

"What are you doing?" gaped Fitz.

"It's my punishment," Sophie replied through gritted teeth. "For when I feel weak. This reminds me to stay strong."

"That's not healthy," Fitz frowned.

"Yeah, well, what do you know?" Sophie shot back, pocketing the knife and rubbing the blood off as Elwin wrapped a bandage and gauze over the injury.

Keefe turned around and looked down. "I don't know where our Foster went, but she sure isn't here," he whispered, swiping at his eyes. "She'd say that feeling isn't being weak. It's being strong."

"Yeah," Fitz nodded, his shoulders shaking as he joined Keefe in numbly staring at the wall as if it stored hidden secrets or treasure.

"Get yourselves together! The Sophie you've got now is way better than the old one! And she's here to stay!" snapped Sophie.

**A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN ONCE AGAIN! (Woo, free candy day, lol!) Fun Fact~ one person once collected 5,065 candy wrappers. :D, sounds like he had to have had a pretty big bag.**

**Also, THERE'S LESS THAN A WEEK UNTIL LEGACY COMES OUT, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! *fangirls so hard and shrieks loud enough to break a window***


	22. Cold Blood

22- Cold Blood

SOMETHING in Keefe just seemed to _snap _then. His eyes sharpened like steel and he made a beeline for Sophie, pinning her to the wall.

"What the-" Sophie started, but Keefe pulled her to his face and pushed his lips onto hers, kissing her. He tangled his fingers through her blonde hair and continued his kissing, and, surprisingly enough, Sophie stayed like that, their mouths practically conjoined by the lip.

They were still lip-to-lip five minutes later when an angry voice said, "A-HEM!"

Keefe jumped and fell to the ground, his mouth disconnecting from Sophie's. He glanced up to find Fitz, arms folded as he glared at Keefe.

Sophie was disoriented, her eyes were glassy and faded as if she was thinking in the distance. Keefe steadied her, his hands firmly planted on her shoulders, keeping her from swaying or toppling to the floor.

"Keefe, why?" Fitz whispered, his usually beautiful teal eyes dark. "You... I... THIS IS THE NTH TIME! I ALREADY LOST TRACK OF HOW MANY TIMES YOU KISSED MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Sorry, Fitz, but I had to do _something_. Look at her." Keefe nodded at Sophie, who was still staring at the wall as if it wasn't there. "She's a wreck."

Fitz pursed his lips. "Yeah, well-"

Ro, Keefe's ogre bodyguard and also ogre princess, daughter of King Dimitar, marched forward, putting her finger on Fitz's mouth. "Nuh-uh-uh. Keefe's been waiting for this moment since forever and I'm not gonna let you, Golden Boy, ruin it."

Fitz's eyes shot at Keefe. "What?"

Keefe reddened and mumbled some curses just for Ro.

"I'm going to take those as compliments," Ro said, flicking her aquamarine blue nails at him.

Keefe rolled his eyes. "Or what?"

"I still have those amoebas left over from poisoning your dad."

"Is that the worst you've got?"

"Guys! Seriously? Keefe kisses my freaking girlfriend who's kind of in a frick-frackin' coma right now, by the way, and you have the _nerve _to make jokes about it? Who do you guys think you are?" Fitz spat out, his hands contorted into white fists.

"Ro," Ro said at the same time as Keefe said, "Keefe."

Biana facepalmed herself. Linh looked like she was trying really hard not to laugh. Tam just nodded slowly, but his lips were tugging slightly at the edges. Dex chortled. Mr. Forkle muttered, "You kids," but it appeared as though, he too, wanted to let out a small guffaw.

A small moan sounded and Keefe's focus was on Sophie, whose lips were slightly agape as she mumbled, "Where am I?"

Fitz shoved Keefe to the ground as he steered Sophie to the couch, his grip on her deathly. "Are you okay, Sophie?" he asked her softly, gently placing her beside him on the sofa. He propped a pillow behind her back and gently touched her cheek.

"Coma... yeah, right," Dex mumbled from across the room.

"Yeah, I think," Sophie whispered, answering Fitz's question, her eyes clouded in deep thought.

"Good. And, um, were you okay with what, uh.. Keefe did?" Fitz asked, gripping the armrest.

Sophie groaned. "Fitz! Seriously? You're asking me _that_?" Her eyes had frustration swimming in every corner of the murky brown fury she felt.

Fitz sighed. "If you don't want to talk about it now, fine. But I'm just trying to figure out how to act around you. You pushed me away when I tried to help you, and now you kissed Keefe. Color me surprised." He added a small grumble, "For the nth time already."

Sophie's lips tugged slightly at the edges in light amusement, but her eyes were droopy. "'70s terms don't work well on you, Fitz," she mumbled, leaning back in the sofa.

Fitz's eyes flitted over Sophie, and he rested a hand on her arm. "Look, I don't want to stress you out, but we used to be boyfriend-and-girlfriend before this entire ordeal. Can... can you remember? I know you're having trouble in the memory section right now, and-"

"No, it's fine. I-I-I can try." Sophie closed her eyes and bit her lip, bringing the gilded and scarred memories back to life.

They were foggy.

Blurry.

Jagged.

_Broken_.

But she still could remember the love Fitz had given her. And the love she had felt in reciprocity. Now... she didn't know how to feel.

Was there friendship? Even love? Fondness?

All was cold. Cold blood in her memories.

Cold blood in her emotions.

Cold blood in her veins.

She couldn't _feel._

Was Sophie Foster still there? Or was she gone for good?

* * *

Sophie inhaled deeply and shuddered, taking refuge under the soft, warm, oh-so-cozy and welcoming, unjudging blankets. And a multitude of voices came from up above, the land of emotions.

"Sophie? Sophie?"

"Are you okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"Foster?" The last voice was her savior, and she replayed the quiet, indulgent voice over and over in her mind, burrowing into a deep and lost memory montage from afar.

_Keefe, snuggling up beside her. _

_Keefe, the hurt in his eyes as he joined the Neverseen. _

_Keefe, a window sleepover. _

_Keefe, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as they flew in the night, unknowing of what would come next as they flew on Silveny, together._

_Keefe, offering his cloak to her to keep her warm when he'd suffer in the windy cold._

_Keefe,_

_Keefe, _

_Keefe._

"Keefe." The word came out of her throat as a choked, strangled rasp.

"Sophie." Calm waves splashed over her inferno of sorrow and worry.

Sophie pushed herself out of the blankets and Keefe's ice-blue eyes scanned her in concern. He didn't say anything but rather put his arms around the small of her back and hugged her. "You win hug of the year," Sophie mumbled into his chest.

"Is that so?" Keefe asked, his eyes sparkling with joy as he touched Sophie's cheek, an impish grin on his facade.

Sophie nodded, smiling eagerly. "Yep."

Keefe played with a loose strand of her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear. Their foreheads knocked together, and brown met ice-blue. Lip met lip. Keefe leaned in close and their mouths connected again. Like yin and yang. Like water and fire. Like destiny and fate.

They kissed like there was no tomorrow.

Then there was a stifled cry of desperation. Of mirth. Fitz.

But they kept kissing until there was a quiet murmur from Biana, "Why, Sophie? Why?"

**A/N: OHMYGOSH! *SQUEEEEE* NEXT WEEK IS THE SECOND-MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THROUGH THE CRACKS! OH EM GEE, SOMEONE HOLD ME, PLEASE! **

***once sanity is regained* T****here's going to be Sophitz in the next chapters. I am not telling which will be the prevailing ship in this fanfic. I am just telling you guys that there will be plenty of Sokeefe AND Sophitz. **

**AND FINALLY, well, for this author's note, anyways, if any chapter doesn't make much sense or if it did not sate even a teensy bit of your fangirl/fanboy craziness, then please feel free to P.M me on what errors you noticed, what I could have done better, etc; I will not be offended at all.**


	23. Friends and Foes

**A/N: First, I gotta say: I MISSED YOU GUYS! I haven't updated in nearly a month, OMG I'M SO SORRY! **

**Now, secondly: I'm planning on writing this fanfic to be**** around 40,000 words, which means you can count on there being at least 26 chapters. Maybe even 30. So this fanfic will actually carry through 2020. Maybe through Jan/Feb. Honestly, this just gets longer and longer. XD, originally I thought I'd write maybe 15 chapters. Look how far this story's come now, :). Also, quick warning, but this chapter is pretty long compared to the others, and also it may have a little bit of tragedy in it. Just to calm any sudden worries you guys may have- NONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS DIE! I could never do that to my story. But there are sad events mentioned. I even shed a tear or two while writing this, I'll confess. Okay, just warning you so you guys don't gang up on me, xd... **

**Happy Late Thanksgiving/Start of December! This chapter is a token of my appreciation to KotLC! *eyes twitch* XD.**

23- Friends and Foes

KEEFE LIGHTLY let go of Sophie, squeezing her shoulders. She closed her eyes and sank into the touch.

Until Keefe stepped back, sadness in his eyes.

"What?" she whispered. "Am I...?"

"No!" Keefe quickly said reassuringly, shaking his head. "No. Foster, you're... you're amazing." His voice broke. "But..."

Sophie's brown eyes sifted over Keefe. "But?"

Keefe bit his lip. "But, I..."

Biana strode over, resignation in her usually bright teal eyes. "I know what Keefe's meaning to say. And, yeah, I agree with the notion. Though we're in the midst of a ton of drama-" she pointed to Bronte, pale and almost lifeless in his unconscious form- "we totally need to get this over with. Sophie, you need to pick between Fitz and Keefe."

* * *

Sophie was startled; she flinched at Biana's words.

Fitz grimly stalked over, his hands hanging by his sides. His eyes were narrowed yet misty with unshed tears.

Keefe joined the group, sitting down beside Sophie. Fitz took the other side, and Sophie felt claustrophobic and nervous, crammed in the middle.

"I agree. Sophie..." Fitz eyed her carefully and in a calculated sort of manner before clearing his throat and twisting his fingers, touching his Cognate ring that had three initials engraved: S.E.F. Sophie Elizabeth Foster. "I want you to know that no matter what, I love you and will support you. Okay?"

Sophie nodded. "Okay." Her throat clenched up as she glanced down at her Cognate ring. F.A.V.

She used to think Fitz was perfect for her. Good-looking, kind, caring... Wait- was that seriously it?

And then Keefe... Devilishly handsome in a jarring sort of way, and they were both misfits, so they seemed to _click _together... and then Keefe always knew just what to say to comfort Sophie. He cared deeply for her. Sophie looked up at Keefe, wringing her fingers nervously. Their eyes locked for a moment before Keefe took her hand, rubbing her palm slowly and softly. "I love you too, Sophie," he whispered, kissing the hand. He hesitantly let go and turned, his eyes on the wall.

Sophie's heart did a backflip.

She sighed, and tears fell out of her eyes. She let the waterworks flow, and soon her cheeks were red and puffy.

"Please, can we save this for another time?" murmured she. "It's a big decision... one I only want to figure out when I'm ready. At least let's rescue Bronte first, then maybe I'll think about this."

Biana nodded. "I understand," she said curtly, her voice slightly snippy and on edge.

"Biana...," Sophie whispered.

But Biana avoided meeting Sophie's eyes, instead getting up and saying, "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me," and walking away.

Sophie thrusted her hands over her eyes, catching a few loose tears. "Ugh, why do love triangles have to complicate friendships outside that dynamic? I thought Biana was with Tam now! Why does she care?" Biana had a long-time crush on Keefe, but Sophie thought now that she had gotten together with Tam, her crush was faded.

"Because she's my sister," Fitz mumbled, his cheeks flared up. "Sorry, Soph. I'm gonna go check on her, see if she's all right."

"Okay." Sophie nodded, watching the boy she used to like hurry through the halls of Everglen.

* * *

Sophie sat there, on the couch, staring at the crumpled Bronte.

"Hard, isn't it?" a soft voice came from behind her.

Sophie glanced up and saw a pretty girl with silver-tipped black hair, misty-grey eyes dim with sadness, regret, and sorrow. "Hi, Linh," she mumbled, sighing deeply.

"Hi, Sophie," she smirked, but then her smug grin faded. "Sophie, I have to say..." She bit her lip. "I'm worried about Wylie."

Sophie put a reassuring hand on Linh's arm. "Don't worry, Linh. We're going to save him, too."

"We have too many people to save." Linh sighed, twirling a strand of her silvery hair and letting go to gracefully catch a tear mid-swirl on her cheeks.

"You got that right." Sophie nodded sadly.

* * *

_Fitz? _Sophie sent the transmission, closing her eyes as the words wafted around Everglen as a slight echo.

_Sophie? What is it? _Sophie detected an edge of panic in his thoughts.

She rushed to explain, _Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Or too serious, anyways. I just wanted to see how Bronte is. Do you mind coming to help me? Cognates could probably crack this the best..._

_Of course! I'm coming right now! _

Sophie heard footsteps thud, and then she felt a firm grasp on her shoulders. She swiveled around to face Fitz. "Hi, Fitz..." She pointed to Bronte, frowning. "We need to check up on him."

Fitz's eyes reflected dismay. "I can't believe I forgot about him."

Sophie nodded softly. "I guess everyone's focus was on me... but now we're going to fix Bronte, too!"

Fitz reached out for Sophie's hand, and they laced their fingers together, taking deep breaths.

"We're going to fix him," Sophie repeated to herself, smiling for a boost of confidence.

_Bronte? _Fitz's transmission was weak and quiet, barely brushing Bronte's mind.

_Let me try, _Sophie said. _Get ready for this._

_I never quite can._

_I know... just try your best, okay? On three. One... two... three! BRONTE! _Sophie mentally screamed the word.

No response.

Sophie scanned the clearing before she let out a sigh. _L__ooks like he might be broken.  
_

Gasp from Fitz. _You really think so?  
_

_It's a grim possibility. And we need to prepare ourselves for whatever painstaking revelation we might make._

_You're right._

_Aren't I always? _Sophie smirked.

Fitz smiled softly. _Yes. _Sophie tried to ignore the tone in which Fitz had transmitted those words in, instead refocusing herself on the expanse of Bronte's empty mind.

Sophie centered herself on the slightly warm trail and her consciousness inside Bronte's mind gently followed it. To the nook. Where an expanse of what should have been emotions was. But there was nothing.

Zip.

Zero.

Absolutely nothing.

_What do you see? _Fitz asked.

As an Inflictor, Sophie could see and feel parts of the mind no ordinary Telepath could. _Niente, that's the problem, _Sophie informed him, frowning.

_Niente? I'm not even gonna ask, _Fitz replied.

_Means nothing in Spanish, _Sophie answered resignedly.

She concentrated, trying to find the light. Even in the bleakest night, there'd always be some light.

And Sophie was going to find it.

* * *

**Three days ago:**

The tall lady shook her head in disdain. "Always the same, aren't you?"

"The Black Swan will never ally with the Neverseen!"

"Oh, are you sure about that?" The woman smirked- her features twisting with the darkness within her made for a very forced smile. "I'm sure if we, ah, cleared your mind, perhaps you'll be of a different thought to the matter."

The bloated man's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would. Gethen!" She turned back to the bloated man, smirking once again. "It's time for you to realize your fate."

* * *

Bronte's mind was so very bare. In every turn she dared to cross there was just darkness. Shadows emulating each other and twisting, hiding the memories, blocking them.

_Do you have a plan? _Fitz's telepathic voice brushed against her consciousness.

She groaned. _No, not yet. Stop pressuring me, Fitz!_

When Fitz replied, his mental voice was laced with melancholy. _Sorry. I'll just... stay away then, while you do your thing._

_Fitz, please. _

_I'm here if you need Cognate backup, but I don't want to interfere with anything else. _

_Alright, then. _

Sophie was annoyed at Fitz, but she searched Bronte's mind for anything remotely important.

And there it was.

A wall.

A black, dark, tall barricade.

That shielded Bronte.

Sophie concentrated even harder now. She brought out a flicker of annoyance at Fitz's contemptuous attitude, and it lit a spark in Bronte's mind. A little fire sparkling and blazing. She added her frustration at her relationship troubles. Anger at the Neverseen for taking Wylie. The vengeous feeling when they'd take something important from her. She was at her peak now, and it all came rolling down at such a speed.

All those feelings churned, turned over, flipping and spinning before they roiled right into Bronte's wall.

And crashed.

Then there was a mechanical-like turn.

Bronte's mind started to light up a bit on the edges.

Glowing with life once again.

* * *

_Bronte! _Sophie cried.

Suddenly the scenery transformed into a forest.

There was a younger Bronte standing beside a little girl. He was patting her head gently. "Opheilda, please. Everything will be fine. Please listen to me."

The girl just looked up at Bronte, her large, green eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

_She's a human! _Fitz transmitted.

_I wonder what this means, _Sophie agreed as the memory played.

Bronte embraced her, wrapping his arms around the young girl. "Opheilda, everything is going to be just fine," he murmured into her ear.

Opheilda just sobbed onto his shoulder. "How would you know? They're _dead_!"

"Listen to me." Bronte sternly planted his hands on her shoulders, peering into her eyes with a soft gaze that Sophie had never seen on his face before.

_I swear, it seems like this guy is his alter ego, _Sophie thought.

_What's that? _Fitz asked.

_Never mind. Let's just see how this plays out. _

Bronte's eyes were filled with sadness as he said quietly, "Opheilda, I know it may seem like the nuclear rocket was wrong to be invented, and though it had grave consequences, what's done is done."

"But you guys are elves!" cried Opheilda. "Can't you turn time or something?!"

"No one can mess with time," Bronte replied, an austere glint in his eyes.

"But you guys were the ones who invented this! Fix it!" Opheilda was hyperventilating and trembling and crying so hard that tears came down her cheeks like a thunderstorm. Her eyes' sparks were the lightning.

Bronte just stared at her, his own eyes glimmering with a couple of tears and deep sympathy. "Opheilda, I'm truly sorry about what happened. Your parents died, and..." He cleared his throat. "I understand how that may feel."

Opheilda met his eyes.

"It happened to me, too," he murmured.

Opheilda just kept crying and Bronte hugged her tightly. "I'll make sure that the program is cancelled," he whispered, "never will this happen again."

Sophie felt something in the memory shift. Suddenly, all happiness seemed to have drained out of Bronte's body.

Only negative emotions remained.

The memory faded away, and Bronte's mind flickered to life. "What happened?" he murmured, blinking his eyes open.

* * *

"You were unconscious," Sophie explained.

"I... saw things," whispered Bronte.

Sophie folded her arms together tightly on her chest. "Bronte, I think we deserve an explanation."

"Very well." Bronte wearily sat upright, leaning against the sofa. "You may have seen the memory." He emphasized "the."

"Yes, we did. What does it mean?" Sophie asked, her eyebrows wrinkling in confusion as she tried to remember every single detail that occurred during the memory.

Bronte stared ahead. He sighed and gruffly started. "I started the Humans Assistance Program as a way to connect with the humans."

"_You _started it?" Fitz asked, blinking.

"Yes. And it was a grave mistake. Many suffered because of the enlightenment we provided for them." Bronte glared at the wall.

"Opheilda, too?" Sophie whispered.

Bronte's head dipped down briefly as he nodded.

"Who was she, anyway?" Fitz inquired, plopping down on the sofa beside Sophie.

Everyone else looked extremely curious about what they were talking about, but remained quiet so that Sophie and Fitz could extract the information more easily.

"A normal human girl," he said evasively.

"Come on, Bronte," Sophie pressed.

"One day you will know the whole story. For now, I will tell you part."

Sophie rolled her eyes but propped her chin up on her hands, nodding in interest. "Go on." Her hair fell in waves around her cheeks as she interestingly stared at Bronte.

"Opheilda's parents were killed in the process of the nuclear rocket's propulsion."

Sophie's eyes brimmed with tears. "What? That's horrible!"

"It certainly is," nodded Bronte gravely. "And I felt all the more guilty since I was the one who initiated the human assistance program. I was responsible."

"No, you weren't. You didn't know that was going to happen!" Sophie protested.

Bronte held his hands up. "No, no. I was. There is this case called remorification, in which elves lose all positive emotions and the ability to feel them, when extreme guilt is felt."

Sophie's eyes widened with every word. "You mean-"

"Yes, Sophie. I was one of the few elves to ever experience remorification. My body can no longer feel happiness."

"But, with Amy. You were happy then."

Bronte's eyes were distant as he said, "Yes. I suppose perhaps some of my guilt eased away... Amy is much like Opheilda and it felt like she was here again..." His voice broke.

"Is she...?" Sophie whispered, wiping her tears.

"Only died of old age," Bronte said. "After all, humans do not live nearly everlastingly like us elves. I mourned her deeply." He solemnly shifted his gaze to his feet, which he was shuffling embarrassingly. Apparently he felt humiliated to share his feelings and innermost thoughts.

"This guy needs a therapist. If the elves even have one, that is," Sophie mused, sniffing and wiping a tear away, placing a hand on Bronte's arm. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. Bronte simply nodded, not saying anything but not pushing her away, either.

* * *

"We're going to save Forkle and Prentice."

"What?" Sophie gasped, her eyes suddenly alight with alertness as if she had just chugged a whole pot of coffee.

Tiergan sighed exasperatedly. "We just ran over the plan."

"Oh." Sophie rubbed at her scalp, sighing. "Can I go take a shower? Being unconscious for that long, I need it."

Yeah, dandruff made its new home in the meanwhile.

Tiergan shrugged. "Go ahead. But we're not going to repeat the plan."

Sophie rolled her eyes but stalked off to the bathroom. She tossed off her clothes and breathed deeply under the relaxing, hot water pouring over her skin. Refreshing. So refreshing. Her mind cleared as she put on a new tunic and leggings, twisting her wet, saggy hair into a sleek ponytail, smiling at her foggy reflection in the mirror.

And she even dared to put on some colored lip balm, to set a good mood.

She returned to the main room, flopping on the sofa, smiling a lot more eagerly now that she had lost some of her tension by the shower.

Fitz and Keefe were eyeing her with excitement; she glanced up and said, "What?"

"Nothing!" they both exclaimed at the same time, shoving their hands in their pockets.

"Uh-huh." Sophie nodded slowly, and she settled further into the couch, biting her lip. "Did I miss anything important?"

"Not much," Dex jumped in, and Sophie noticed he was holding Linh's hand. They both had rosy cheeks and their eyes kept darting to the other. Sophie had to stop herself from squealing; now she didn't have to feel guilty at all about their rejection. Well, she had rejected him years ago, and they were over it, still considering each other best friends, but it had still caused tension every once in a while; after all, she had been Dex's first crush and kiss. But now that they were together, well, it'd just prevent the sad memories from flooding back to the front of Sophie's mind.

Tiergan was pointing a ballpoint pen to a board with red string patterned and strung all around it. He tapped it impatiently. "_Every_ part is important!" he hissed.

"Continue," Sophie nodded politely. But she couldn't suppress a giggle.

"What?" Tiergan asked, annoyed.

Sophie bit hard on her bottom lip, yet the laughs still fell out, tumbling one after another. "It's like those- oh, never mind." She knew nobody would get it, because they hadn't grown up with humans' punny detective movies and sci-fi.

"Then I can continue?"

"Go ahead," Sophie replied; her laughs had faded and died now.

Tiergan nodded. "Well, we the Collective considered this matter very immensely. We tried to prepare for every scenario. Obviously you cannot be that prepared, but we have tried." His firm eyes rolled over Sophie. "The Moonlark is the bait."

**A/N: *gasp* Why did I write that cliffhanger? *shrugs* I've been asking myself that question ever since I started writing fanfics, sooo... yeah. This chapter is the longest so far at 3,000 words. *gasp again* I know it's been a few weeks, which for me is a long time in-between updates, but I've been crazy busy this week; I'm kinda behind on schoolwork and winter break and deadlines and oh- *faints* *rises again, dusting off hands* But I'll probs be back at least before Christmas, maybe in mid-December. See you soon! Happy Holidays!  
**


	24. Decisions, Decisions, and More Decisions

24- Decisions, Decisions, and More Decisions

EVERYONE SEEMED to be holding their breath, all eyes dilated in curiosity as they watched Sophie like she was a reality show.

And she did just the unexpected- she _danced_. Dark eyes shining and lips tipped upwards at the edges in a smile, she chuckled good-naturedly. Her eyelashes flicked down as she cocked her gaze up to Tiergan.

"Uhh, Foster, are you okay?" Keefe asked cautiously, raking a hand through his articulate blond hair, his ice-blue orbs peering up at Sophie in a concerned manner.

"Can't I just dance without having my motives questioned?! What has this world become!" she exclaimed, twirling and pirouetting onto the couch gracefully, considering her usual ineptness at balance. She obliviously curled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. "And anyways, I am genuinely happy. These guys-" she turned her pointed stare to Tiergan and the remaining of the Black Swan, huddled up in the kitchen, drinking Juline's famous cinnacreme, "- are indecisive and bad leaders. They were putting this off for like forever! And now... and now they're finally realizing the magnitude of our situation!"

Tiergan looked up from his warm, steaming mug and shrugged. "Could you do better?"

"Yeah, I'm actually sure I could," replied Sophie coolly, even though she was pretty sure she couldn't.

"_Buuurn_!" whispered Keefe, holding up a hand for Sophie to high-five.

She ignored it, pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing. "You know what? Just tell us the plan. I'm not going to get lost in your delusions."

Tiergan sighed but held up the ballpoint pen and jabbed it in the string-covered bulletin board. "Sophie is going to surrender herself in exchange for Mr Forkle and Wylie."

Collective gasps filled the room.

"But wouldn't the Forklenator say the Moonlark is the most important thing to protect or something?" Keefe remarked.

"Ah," Tiergan said, "but we _are_ going to protect her. Nubiti will tunnel underground and keep from a distance. She will have a few other dwarves accompanying her. We will, unfortunately, have to take a leap on this one and offer only the most discreet protection, which will not be all that well, and since Sophie may suffer tests of sorts because the Neverseen know we'd never give up Sophie just like that... we need to make them believe that she's malfunctioning again."

* * *

Fitz scooted over and squeezed Sophie's hand, offering warmth. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

Their cheeks brushed and Sophie felt a tiny tingle brushing her insides.

She smiled and got up to her feet. "Let's do this thing."

"You're sure?" Tiergan said unceremoniously.

Sophie nodded. "I'm tired of letting the Neverseen stomp all over us like they're stupid superiors or something. Let's show them they can't be."

Fitz slipped his hand into Sophie's and Keefe grabbed her other.

"You're sure you want to do this, Foster?" Keefe asked softly.

"Yes." Sophie glanced up and locked eyes with Keefe.

Keefe nodded. "Then let's get our friends back!"

**A/N: Happy Hannukah! It started yesterday night, I believe? I don't celebrate it, but it seems like a pretty cool holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa, too! Actually, since I don't want to spam FanFiction by listing off all the holidays, I'm just going to say Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for reading this story and I hope you guys'll keep reading it!  
**


	25. Fitz's Confession

25- Fitz's Confession

SOPHIE STEPPED OFF the steps of Everglen, sitting down in the grass cross legged. She gazed meaningfully into the cerulean blue sky.

"We'll get them back."

Sophie whipped her head around only to see a very familiar teal-eyed boy with ruffled dark hair kneeling down beside her.

"We will," he says softly, tentatively reaching a finger out to brush aside a lock of Sophie's hair but lingering mid-touch. He quickly pulled it away as if electrocuted.

"Fitz?" Sophie asked, blinking.

"Yeah?" Fitz's eyes burned into hers.

"Why are you so distant now?" She pursed her lips and looked down at the grass, examining a pretty flower.

Fitz hesitated. "I don't know, Sophie," he finally said, his brows furrowed but gaze sad, resigned. "I don't want to push you to pick now, I guess," he shrugs. "I don't want you to feel like you have to choose me. I want you to pick who you love more, not who you feel would hurt more if you rejected."

Sophie nodded, her hair sliding down her shoulders. "I guess that makes sense. But-" She paused, interlocking her fingers with Fitz's and beaming up at him, "-no matter who I choose, I want you to stay my Cognate. Okay?"

The ends of Fitz's lips tugged into a small smile.

"Okay," he answered reluctantly, leaning his head back to study Sophie from a better angle. "You've changed," he murmured quietly, raking his free hand over his hair to straighten it.

"Yeah," Sophie nodded, "the Neverseen kidnapping your creator and people who sacrificed so much for you does that to a person."

Fitz's eyes shot wide open in alertness. "That's- not what I meant, Sophie-" he started tersely.

"Relax," chuckled Sophie, tracing a finger over Fitz's tense thumb. "I know that's not what you meant, Fitz."

His tense jaw loosened and he grinned. "Good." He bit his bottom lip anxiously, teal eyes cloudy as if in deep thought. "Sophie," he said, his voice ragged and weak, "I think I'm in love with you. Deep, deep love."

* * *

Before, when Sophie had been Fitz's girlfriend, they had only been starting to love each other.

They only just barely brushed the tip of the iceberg.

But now, Fitz was claiming to _love_ her. As in, married couple love her.

Sophie's jaw slackened and a thin line of drool escaped her mouth, trickling down her chin. Fitz wiped it with his index finger and hopefully stared at her. "I'm not expecting you to say it back, Soph, I know things've changed and... we're not the same as we used to be now."

He elongated his sigh. "But I know Keefe loves you like that, too, he has for a while now.

"And I hate knowing I probably just won your heart for that week we were together. But- Sophie, I just wanted you to know that. That, I love you so much..."

His pitiful gaze made Sophie's stomach flip and churn.

"And that all I want is for us to be a couple again," he finishes, letting his hand slip out of Sophie's, grazing her arm for a mere moment before he withdrew it.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's been like forever since I updated- *checks fanfiction page for a specific amount of time* *gasps* OMG, how could I? A WHOLE MONTH! *scolds self* I mean... ah well. I updated! I know it's not much, mostly a filler, but I was kinda missing the romance that I had to skip for a few chapters... also, if you've gotten this far in Through the Cracks, I applaud and thank you! A few months ago I was a new writer, only just starting to write fanfictions and stories and stuff, and now that I have (slightly) more experience, I can see how horrible this fanfic really is. Plot holes and mostly just make out sessions to fill up the chapters, lol. Maybe I should change the title to Who Do I Love or something, XD. Despite the crappiness of this story I wanna see it complete so I'll probably slowly update until it's finished. THX SO MUCH FOR READING AND HAVE AN AWESOME DAY! :)  
**


	26. Why Are Goodbyes Always So Bittersweet?

**A/N: Whyyy hello! This fanfic is nearly complete! :) After all, we are at 35k words and I wanted it to be circa 40k (which is actually around the length of an ACTUAL FREAKING NOVEL! A SHORT NOVEL BUT STILL!) So that means maybe around 2-4 chapters left? Idk, and I might also add an epilogue too so who knows? Thanks for reading this far. :D This fanfic touches deep in my heart because it was one of the first ones I ever started with on FF.  
**

* * *

26- Why Are Goodbyes Always So Bittersweet?

SOPHIE LEANED her head onto Fitz's shoulder, smiling into his eyes wistfully. Their lips were so close. It would be so easy to kiss him now.

Fitz's erratic heartbeat could probably be heard a mile away.

Sophie hid her face in the crook of his neck and Fitz stroked her hair gently. "Sophie," he said warningly.

"I know, Fitz," Sophie answered, her voice choked. She pulled her head back and she sniffed, tears leaking out of her eyes. "But if this is the last time we see each other ever again... I-... I want it to count." Her brown eyes were swimming with shiny salt water.

Fitz knitted his brows together and focusingly smudged the tears off from Sophie's eyes. "It's not going to be," he stated, wrapping her in a tight and reassuring hug.

But in the way Fitz's chin was held rigidly, Sophie knew better.

"It might be, Fitz." She trembled in his embrace and looked up into his bittersweet heartbreakingly teal eyes. Those eyes she fell for all those years ago. When the Neverseen wasn't that large of an issue. When she was a naive little preteen with no idea of the evil capabilities the world had. "Fitz," Sophie said softly, "I'm prepared to die."

"No," protested Fitz.

Sophie held up a hand and brushed her lips tantalizingly over Fitz's cheek. He blushed a crimson red and Sophie reached to cup the side of his face. "I'm ready," she firmly told him. "I am ready to die. If it means dying for such a great, life changing cause, then by Merlin I'll do it."

Fitz didn't question Sophie's human reference and pursed his lips, staring her dead in the dark eyes he adored so much. "Sophie, I won't let you," he ordered. "I- I can't. What good will it be if we lose _you_?"

Sophie offered a faint smile. "The whole world would be better off without the Neverseen ya know. And if I'm going down I'm taking 'em down with me," she declared.

Fitz grinned, teal eyes crinkled at the edges. He leaned back to study Sophie, gently running a finger up her cheek. "You're an amazing person, Sophie," Fitz whispered. "I only wish I could be half as awesome as you."

Sophie smirked. "Of course." She threw her head back, hair flipping over her shoulder wildly. "I'm absolutely amazing," she bragged with a glint in her brown eyes.

Fitz shook his head with a small smile on his lips- the ones that Sophie wanted her own to touch so badly- and threaded his fingers in the grass. "I'm glad you finally realize it now."

Sophie sadly stared down at Fitz' hand, placed in the grass, and layered her hand on his.

Fitz looked up at her and scooted closer. "I don't think any of us know or can even imagine what life is like being you," he murmured.

Sophie raised a brow, wondering where Fitz was going with this.

"Born in the Forbidden Cities, forming an attachment with a human family-" he stopped to wipe a tear that had escaped from Sophie's eye- "and then discovering you were a genetic experiment... learning that the entire elvin population's lives were on you."

Sophie laughed dryly.

"Am I right?" Fitz asked, gazing into Sophie's profoundly brown eyes that were now glossed over with salty tears. They only made the dark chocolate brown shimmer and glow like little stars placed on her face. She was absolutely stunning, even when she cried.

"Pretty much," confessed Sophie. "But I think you're overdramatizing things. It's not that bad. Especially since I've got you guys."

Fitz's lips tugged into a broad smile. "You got that right."

The pair sat beside each other on the ground, silent for a few minutes. Then Sophie said, "Fitz?"

The dark haired boy turned his head to the beautiful blonde girl leaning against him. "Hmm?"

"You have something... right there...?" Sophie reached her index finger out and brushed Fitz's lip. Fitz blinked and looked down, trying to figure out what exactly was on his lip, when Sophie curled her hand around his neck and pulled his face to hers.

Their lips met and fireworks went off inside Fitz's body.

But Sophie was confused when she just felt a light stir inside her stomach. Why wasn't her stomach doing flips? Why did she not feel the connection as much as Fitz appeared to?

They pulled away and Sophie eyed Fitz carefully. She broke out into a tiny smile, wrapping her arms around Fitz, hugging him. Surprised at the gesture, Fitz rested his hand on her back and embraced her.

"I'm going to miss you, Fitz," Sophie mumbled.

* * *

**A/N: Hahaha! I am burning up the atmosphere this week! Updated like four of my fanfics, ALL IN ONE WEEK! *sniffles and wipes away tears* I'm so proud of me. **

**Sorry it's so brief, but it's longer than ch25 at least. Anyways, idk when I'll update next, bc I am currently focusing on I Fell for the Bangs and Teal Blossom, and I wanna give The Sister You Never Knew Existed a quick refresh lol. I honestly don't have a clue as to why I started so many fanfictions. It feels like it'll be foreeeeeever until I'll finish this, but I want to give it the love it deserves and not rush through this too much. Hehe and no spoilers on the endgame ship, buuuut if you closely examine this chapter you might find a hintttttt!  
**


	27. A Bold Profession

**A/N: Omg I'm updating in under a week! *tries to pass it off as normal* Pshawww! I update reeeeally often so it isn't a big deal! Haha, yeah... Anyways, this chapter's kinda just medium-length and it's yet another filler, sorry, but I promise the next chapter WILL be a significant one towards the plot. This one just builds up some of the climax for it. Well, uh, hope you like it! **

* * *

27- A Bold Profession

"ARE WE READY?" Sir Tiergan/Granite repeated to the group, his chalky features serious as he in turn had a staredown with each individual.

Della was a trainwreck, sobbing on the floor with Alden tersely standing beside her, patting her shoulder hesitantly as if he was afraid Della would bite his hand off.

Biana had tears streaming down her mascara-free face and Tam, who didn't bother to hide in the shadows, had one arm wrapped securely around her.

Linh was subtly holding hands with Dex, who was shaking. She whispered something that seemed to calm him down significantly.

Meanwhile Keefe and Fitz stood a meter away from Sophie. Her face set, she turned to them and looped an arm through each of theirs. "C'mon, guys! Why the long faces?" she brightly asked.

"Uhm, maybe because we're facing our deaths?" Fitz said at the same time as Keefe said, "Does my hair still look good?"

Sophie shook her head impetuously and beamed. "Turn that frown upside down!" She reached out and pulled the ends of Fitz's mouth into a saggy smile and poked Keefe's jaw.

"Uhhh, you're seriously creeping us out, Foster," Keefe shuddered after he and Fitz shared a quick, knowing look.

Sophie cocked her eyebrows up. "How so? I'm simply trying to look on the bright side!" Then she started to sing under her breath some human song unrecognizable to Fitz and Keefe both.

Fitz and Keefe's heads turned and locked. Clearly they were having some sort of telepathic conversation.

Finally they twisted their heads back and gazed at Sophie. "Sophie," they said in unison, then blinked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Sophie," Fitz said, his tongue flicking over his lower lip. "Keefe and I both support you no matter what, okay? You're going to do great."

Sophie's serene expression fell and she allowed her lips to limply return to a frown. "Th-th-thanks, guys. I don't deserve such great friends."

Keefe softly punched her in the shoulder. "Yes you do, Foster. You're the Moonlark of all moonlarks. Instead of facing it alone, you have a flock right behind you."

Fitz nodded and smiled gently. "You're the best Moonlark they could've ever made."

"Thank you, Fitz," Sophie's voice wobbled, "you're amazing. I-I know for a fact you were an awesome boyfriend."

Fitz's smile faded and he stared down at his shoes. "Thanks, Soph," he whispered sorrowfully.

Sophie pursed her lips and nodded. "And Keefe?"

Keefe's head snapped up attentively.

"You're amazing, don't ever forget that."

Keefe's ice-blue eyes clouded over with thick tears of great emotion. "Foster, I-"

Sophie held up her hand and gingerly pressed it to his cheek. "I care for you so much more than you'll ever realize-" her voice was choked- "and you have so, so, so much potential. I'm no Descryer but even I know that."

Keefe wiped his eyes. "No, Foster, don't act like you're going to-"

Sophie forced a smile. "We all have to admit that it's a huge possibility, Lord Hunkyhair."

Keefe's eyes twinkled with pleasant surprise. "You called me Lord Hunkyhair... about time, too!" He smirked and yelled, "Ro!"

The ogre stomped over. "What is it?"

Keefe's lashes lowered and he murmured something into Ro's ears.

"Yes, go for it, Sencen boy," Ro whooped loudly. Keefe gave her a glare and Ro wrung her fingers nervously. "Oh, it was supposed to be-" Keefe nodded brusquely. "Oh. No regrets!" she called, stomping back into the garden to do who knows what with Bo.

Keefe took a deep breath in. "I need to tell you something, Foster. If you think there's a possibility you might-" gulp "-_die_... I have to admit something to you."

Fitz nodded sadly as he realized what Keefe meant. He left, probably off to spy on Tam and Biana.

Sophie ran a hand through her messy blonde hair. "What is it, Keefio?"

Keefe sharply intook a deep breath. "Come here," he muttered, beckoning for Sophie to follow him outside. He anxiously scratched his forehead.

Confused, Sophie sat down on the stone steps next to him.

Keefe made sure to leave enough space between them. Biting the inside of his cheek, he started. "Sophie, for a long time I've felt this, but only for a couple months I knew it..." He swallowed nervously.

Sophie hugged her knees to her chest, leaning against the wall of the doorframe. She knew it must be something serious. After all, he called her 'Sophie.' He only ever called her that when the subject at hand was grave. He _always_ called her 'Foster.' Something must be really wrong. "Yeah?" she nodded encouragingly.

Keefe slapped the grass, pulling out a huge chunk with long twirly roots. "Oh, screw it!" he shouted. "Sophie, I'm in love with you!"

* * *

**A/N: Lol, finally Keefe admitted his feelings in a conspicuous way! I mean, yeah he did kiss her several times in this fanfic lmao, but never did he clearly state it! Yeeeeep! Okay, so now we're at twenty seven chapters... I want there to be AT LEAST thirty, and yes I'm relaying this in basically every author's note. Maybe I should talk about something else. Ummm, so, the Super Bowl? Rough, huh? *silently facepalms myself* Cary, that was like a month ago and only the USA celebrates it. What the heck is going on with your brain? Is it short circuiting?**

** *smiles to readers* Mkay, that didn't happen! Anyways, yeah. My brain is seriously frying nowadays, so I am SO SORRY if it slips into my writing and if more plot holes start to open up than usual. Please, please, help this poor fanfiction writer. If you find a plot hole, a grammar/spelling mistake, or ANYTHING WRONG- SERIOUSLY, _ANYTHING_!- please P.M me or review. I want to improve my writing as much as poss. THANK YOU GUYS! YOU ARE AMAZING PEEPS!  
**


	28. I Will

**A/N: Yo! Been a while, huh? So, I've decided I'm discontinuing Through the Cracks, but here's the last chapter I wrote before I decided that. (it's really short, I know. I'm sorry) Um, I guess after this that'll be it. :(i won't be able to write the scenes i had planned, like the fighting the neverseen, but maybe you guys'll want me to write an epilogue at least? Or something? review and tell me what you think please. thankss! **

**OH and btw i made a wattpad accountttt i'm ilikethemsaltyy with two y's cause apparently the other was taken. i will upload my fanfictions on there too if you wanna read. 3 love you guys. thanks for reading.  
**

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28- I Will

Sophie blinked, watching Keefe's face. "Wait... what?" she whispered. "You're in actual fricken love with... me?"

Keefe nodded. "I had to say it. If we... lose you," he visibly gulped, "I didn't want you to leave without knowing that. You're amazing and so pure, Sophie. I guess now you're not so much that anymore," he quickly admitted, staring down at his feet. "But, I wanted you to know that."

He raised his head, and Sophie swore she could see sadness rim the lines of his eyes. "Please don't die," he added pleadingly.

Sophie smiled gently, moving closer to him. She rested a hand on his knee. "You know that's not up to me, Keefe," she replied honestly, studying the soft way the trees behind Keefe swayed. "If I die, I die. But..." She paused, considering something. "If I do die, Keefe, promise me you'll all wear green and black to my Planting. To celebrate both my elvin and human heritages."

Keefe choked. "Foster, no..."

"If I die, that is." Sophie cleared her throat. "I don't wanna be morbid so, you know. Keefe, there's always a chance I'll die and a chance I'll live through this. We need to accept the possible outcomes. If I die, I die. It's okay. If I live, I live. And that's great. But either way we need to be grateful. Because," a pink glow entered Sophie's cheeks and she firmly stated, "if I'm dying, I'm going to make sure it's worth it."

A small smile appeared on Keefe's face. "See, that's why I love you, Foster. Your determination."

Sophie blushed, softly standing up.

Keefe followed suit. "Don't go now."

"I have to get ready for the confrontation," Sophie whispered, cracking a smile. "I can't show up to the ambush looking like Iggy just unleashed one of his fart storms all over me."

Keefe snorted. "You have a point, I guess. Gotta make a fancy entrance to the battle."

He pretended to flip his hair, and Sophie tilted her head back laughing. Her shoulders drooped. "I'm gonna miss you, Keefe."

Keefe folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "You are not going to say that. You aren't dying on me, Foster."

Sophie's lip twitched. "I just wanted to let you know that."

"I'm gonna miss you too but not because of that." He set a hand on her shoulder, jaw squared. "Do everything in your power to make sure you don't die," he ordered, but there was a subtle wobble in the way he talked.

Sophie smiled, leaning into his touch. "I will."


End file.
